#The trash can is his Haunt now B-! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

singularity-sam · 7 months ago

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Insane Stories From Belobog's Trash Cans - Special Pumpkin Patch Volume: A Vacation Turned Horror

For the Stellaron Hvnters Halloween Pumpkin Patch Event, with the rent-a-cabin maxima prompt chosen, featuring Huohuo and Tail as the protagonists!

(Disclaimer: This story contains depictions of terror, horror tropes, social anxiety, bullying, mentions of hardship, and unfunny cringe attempts at humor throughout).

“It’s a nice place, isn’t it?”, Guinaifen said while gesturing to the log cabin nestled in the middle of the woods in front of her, “This is where we’ll be staying for the next few days as part of our well-earned vacation!” As she finished her introduction of the setting, Sushang walked up beside her and stopped, replying with: “Yeah, it is. Thank goodness we can finally relax here and not have to worry about any trouble…” Another pair of footsteps sounded from behind them, followed by a quiet yet nervous-sounding voice speaking, “T-That would be nice… I hope nobody… tries to bother us while we’re here… B-Being on this foreign planet is already bad for my nerves…”, while stuttering with much anxiety within.

This comment then led to Huohuo’s companion, Tail, to awaken and separate himself from her while gazing at the site. “A log cabin? Yuck! How cliche!”, he said angrily (his usual tone). One last person finished walking up to the rest of the group. “If it is cliche, then would that mean it’s like a horror movie?”, Stelle asked, “Would it be haunted? Maybe some monster or creep stalks around at night? It’d be fitting, considering this is a Halloween-themed vacation…” Huohuo shook anxiously at that thought while yelling: “Ahh! D-Don’t say that…! V-Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. No scary stuff!” Tail felt annoyed at this, so he said, “Ugh, cut it out! This brat gets scared easily, and it grates my ears!”, while rolling his eyes.

“Speaking of which, isn’t this Halloween holiday something celebrated in certain foreign worlds? Aren’t you and Stelle familiar with it, Little Gui?”, Sushang wondered aloud, “Doesn’t it involve spooky costumes and candy? I remember you talking about it before. It reminds me of some of the Xianzhou ships’ holidays, but scarier.” Guinaifen twirled around and answered her best friend’s questions with: “That’s right, Shangshang! And it’s a lotta fun! Since you and Huohuo never experienced it, I thought inviting you all out here on this remote planet would be the perfect way to celebrate the holiday and our ghost-hunting efforts.” This perked Stelle up, who excitedly interjected with, “Yeah, Halloween’s the best! And we deserve to celebrate because we’re the Ghost-Hunting Squad, and nothing can stop us from being amazing sigmas!”, while having a manic grin and playful tone.

The other four members just looked on with stunned and confused stares, being put off by Stelle’s usual unhinged brainrot. “Um… Anyway, there’s a lot of fun activities to do around here in coordination with Halloween! We can carve and paint pumpkins at the nearby pumpkin patch, swim and play in the creek behind the cabin, and watch scary movies at night. Trust me, it’ll be loads of epicness, fam!”, Guinaifen said. “...I-I’m not keen on all the scary stuff…”, Huohuo piped up frightfully, “B-But the rest of the activities sound fun. I… never get much of a chance to go out like this, being in the Ten-Lords Commission and all.”

Guinaifen winked at her and reassured her with: “Then we’ll make the most of it! Don’t worry, we won’t do anything TOO scary. Now, let’s go inside and unpack our stuff, then the fun begins!” She gestured for the others to follow her towards the cabin’s wooden porch, which they did, though Huohuo and Tail lagged behind slightly. Tail, seeing that his companion was as cautious as ever, just sighed and said, “Sigh… This is gonna be exhausting. And I can’t even look away from this little brat for more than five seconds! I guess I just have to suck it up and try to do this, for her sake, but mostly mine.”, to himself in a bemoaned way. She felt slightly hurt at his remark, but knew deep down that he didn’t mean it, so she continued walking with the others, hoping for the best to come of this little vacation.

The Ghost-Hunting Squad came to this remote farming planet in order to experience Halloween together for the first time, and to relax after their recent victory at resolving the Fyxestroll Garden incidents. Guinaifen used her social media clout and fundings to rent the cabin they would be staying in and pay for the travel expenses. And everyone’s off time lined up, creating this perfect opportunity. It was intended to be relaxing and filled with entertainment and tons of festivities. And for their planned three day mini vacation, they hoped that nothing would get in their way and disrupt them from having a good time. Though they should know by now that trouble always seemed to follow them…

…

Later that evening, all of the squad members finished unpacking their luggage and the sun was beginning to set. As a first event, Guinaifen (who seemed to be the planner of all of the trip’s activities) decided that watching a horror movie together with all of her friends would be a good start. She and the others picked out a PG rated one (for Huohuo, so she wouldn't get too scared) and began to view it on the ancient cable TV that was in the cabin’s living room area. Only Guinaifen knew how to work it, due to her being used to older technology while growing up. All five of them, including Tail, sat on a very long sofa and watched intently.

“Wow, this movie’s kinda intense and ominous for being a kid’s flick… You holding up OK, Huohuo?”, Sushang asked after a while. Huohuo, who was visibly shaking and wide-eyed, nodded and hesitantly said: “Y-Yeah… This isn’t so bad, actually… This is the farthest I’ve ever gotten into a scary movie, so m-maybe I can do this!” This answer seemed to satisfy Sushang, who smiled and went back to watching the screen. Tail, meanwhile, scoffed at Huohuo’s attempt at being brave and wryly said, “Ha! THIS is scary? It’s so wimpy and basic. I’ve seen little kids that are scarier than this! If you can’t get through this, you won’t get through anything!”, in a crude yet subtly sympathetic manner.

The silence of being enveloped in the movie’s grasp continued on for twenty more minutes and all of them remained entranced by it, despite their previous comments. And right as the climax neared and the main character was about to enter an abandoned, creepy mine, the power in the cabin went out. The already dark room was then plunged into pitch black, with no visible light at first (except for Tail, whose flaming body acted as a makeshift night light). “Aahh…!!”, Huohuo screamed in reaction, “No, no!! I don’t like the dark!” Caught off guard by her loud and emotional reaction, Guinaifen said, “Hey, it’s all right! We’re out in the middle of the country, so the electricity can be kinda faulty sometimes. It’ll be fine! I doubt the power’s gonna be out for too long.”, in an attempt to console her. For some reason, this compelled Stelle to answer with: “Maybe it’s a ghost? I mean, why else would the power go out at that exact moment during the movie? A shame, I was really enjoying it…” Of course, this caused Huohuo to freak out a little more and start to breathe heavier.

As everyone’s eyesight started to adjust to the darkness better after a little while (save for Tail, since heliobi don’t need traditional eyesight), Sushang clumsily stood up off the couch and shook her head (even though no one could see it). “N-Nevermind that… I don’t think there’s much we can do about this now.”, she said. A hint of fear was in her voice, since she also gets unnerved by the unexplainable. “How about we go to bed?”, she suggested, “It’s late and it’s not like we have anything else to do right now, anyway.” Tail’s flames surged slightly with annoyance as he replied with: “Sure, fine by me. I was getting sick of being near you wussies to begin with! At least now I can get some peace and quiet around here…” With that, Tail sort of led the other four friends upstairs to their bedrooms using his luminance as a beacon in the darkness. Sushang nearly tripped and fell on the wooden floor on the way there, so Guinaifen also proceeded to use her smartphone’s flashlight to help as well. Stelle also tried to crack an unfunny meme joke about the situation, but of course, no one laughed (except her).

Even after guiding everyone else to their rooms, Tail and Huohuo made sure they got in safely and were comfortable/not confused. Tail pretended he was angry the entire time, but his actions juxtaposed his feelings. And Huohuo still worried about her friends, regardless of her intense fear about what was going on. Once that was done, both of them went into their room and went to sleep. Huohuo slept cautiously but was put a little at ease from the warm radiance of Tail’s spiritual flames nestled on a cot in the corner of the room, bathing it in a comforting green hue. This made her fear of the darkness from the blackout more manageable, as her companion/body part buddy maintained a sense of familiarity in her vicinity.

A few hours passed before Huohuo was awakened by something, a sound coming from outside her window on the ground near the forest’s trees. It sounded like footsteps, and they had a two-step pace to them, like a human’s. The power was still out, making the cause seem like it was intentional from someone else’s actions… She felt her heart rate beginning to accelerate, but she didn’t want to make a fuss just yet, since she wanted to figure out what was going on. So, she silenced her breathing and her Foxian ears listened closer to the outside perimeter. Whoever’s pair of feet were crunching on the fallen autumn leaves sounded like they wanted to be heard by other people. The steps were light yet very deliberate, as if they belonged to a typically unassuming person trying their best to be threatening.

Extremely unnerved at the realization of all of these minute details, Huohuo could no longer go back to sleep. She quietly got out of the bed and walked over to the window to get a better view at any possible trespasser. The darkness outside made it hard to see, so she bent down and squinted farther. While she still didn’t see anything, the footsteps stopped cold for a few seconds before they seemed to burst into a sprint that ran deeper into the woods. The pace was fast and loud, as if the person could somehow detect that Huohuo was listening in on them. This sudden change in atmosphere made her freak out and want to inform the others. “...W-W-Wake up…! T-There’s somebody outside in the forest…!!”, she screamed frightfully, “...Mr. Tail! Everyone, please!! There could be danger…!”

Her loud pleading roused Tail, who groaned and rolled his eyes. “What is it this time? I’m trying to sleep here, you little brat!”, he complained groggily. She tried to answer with what she saw once more, but only gasps and sobs came out. Luckily, her commotion awakened the rest of the Ghost-Hunting Squad, who waded their way through the dark hallway and into the room.

After spending a minute calming her down, Huohuo explained her findings again. Sushang nodded and smiled while saying, “Don’t worry, we believe you! How about me and Stelle go out there to look? We’re both fighters, and nobody’ll mess with us.”, upon understanding what happened. Stelle pumped her fist excitedly in response and said: “That’s right! Any stalker will regret crossing paths with the Galactic Baseballer!” Huohuo nodded slightly, liking the suggestion, since she thought deep down that it was only her imagination acting up from her being half-asleep. And with that, the two bodyguards left without another word.

Stelle and Sushang rushed downstairs and busted open the door action-movie style (or rather, only Stelle did, for some reason), and headed outside. Huohuo, Tail, and Guinaifen followed behind at a distance, curious about everything. The group rounded the cabin’s corner and went to where Huohuo heard the footsteps. It was hard to see, but Tail provided some lantern-like light once again. The two fighters pulled out their signature weapons as a warning tactic, Stelle’s baseball bat and Sushang’s greatsword respectively. They stared into the barely-lit treeline for a few moments, not seeing/hearing anything at all.

The looming tension in the air seemed to be put to rest once everyone heard a loud crackle of electricity and the cabin’s power finally came back on, bathing the immediate surroundings in bright light. Still, no one could be seen anywhere in the forests around them. Stelle and Sushang put away their weapons, being convinced that there was no threat anymore. “I don’t see anybody here, guess that means we’re in the clear.”, Sushang said. Stelle turned around to face her, and asked, “Still, what happened? And why did the power suddenly come back on?”, while being serious for once. Guinaifen stretched in exhaustion and stepped closer to them. “I dunno. Maybe it was the property owner working on the nearby generator or something.”, she said while yawning, “But man, I’m tired… It doesn’t look like anybody’s out here, so let’s go back to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow! Let’s go back inside. I thought you were the sleepy one, Shangshang, not me.” As she started to walk back to the front door, Sushang began to chase after her while retorting: “Hey, that’s low! And I only fall asleep when I have to do academic stuff, OK?”

Stelle proceeded to follow them as well, with Huohuo and Tail trailing behind sadly. She felt disappointed that they didn’t find anyone, as odd as that may seem. She was afraid of the unknown and didn’t like that it seemed to get brushed off by the others so easily, or so she thought. Hanging her head down low, she commented, “I-I know I heard some footsteps out here… And I know I didn’t imagine it. R-Right, Mr. Tail…?”, with a despondent tone. Tail, who was too tired to pay full attention, just stayed silent and only answered after a few seconds of awkwardness crept up on him. “Huh…? Oh, yeah, I guess. I’m not too sure, honestly. I was peacefully asleep until SOMEBODY woke me up with her whining!”, he said. Despite the sarcasm and slightly rude remarks, Huohuo could tell he was not too serious about it, since she had been around him long enough to understand his feelings and little oddities.

All of them went back to their rooms and went back to sleep. It was difficult for Huohuo (easier for Tail, obviously), but the electricity being back on and her friends’ silly natures helped quite a bit. The uneasiness was still there, but things such as the dim lamp being powered on the nightstand next to her bed also alleviated it somewhat. And with great effort and a little bit of time, she was able to go back into a peaceful sleep. One of the last thoughts on her mind was that perhaps this vacation could be fun and not so bad after all. There were still two days left to enjoy and the first bad night couldn’t tarnish what’s yet to come. Hopefully, it would get better… However, things such as Halloween are never fully predictable…

…

On a more positive note, the next day started off much more fun than the previous one. Just as Guinaifen said, the whole group decided to swim in the freshwater creek behind the cabin for the day’s activity. It was located about 300 feet away from the back of the cabin and through a little wooded path area. It was a large stream, with crystal clear water and a moderately fast current that made it perfect for relaxing in. There were all sorts of stones in and around the water, some clear and smooth, and others dry and rough. While it wasn’t as exciting as a full-on beach or amusement park, it had a nice, earthly charm to it that allowed people to appreciate nature and all its natural beauty.

The entire Ghost-Hunting Squad put on their swimsuits and did various fun activities while being near the creek. Stelle splashed around and generally swam the most in the water out of everyone, having the energy of a little kid the whole time. Sushang and Guinaifen played tag while skipping stones across the stream, having fun while enjoying each other’s company. Even Huohuo, who doesn’t always like high energy physical activities, was having a good time. She was simply dipping her feet in the creek’s water while sitting on the bedrock’s edge, not wanting to get too wet from the cold liquid. And Tail sat right beside her, content with just watching the others and not wanting to get wet either. He did get shoved into the water by Stelle earlier as a “prank” (in her words), leading to him shouting: “HEY!!! It’s very offensive to splash a heliobus with water!! It may not affect my spiritual flames, but it’s still so annoying to get the wet feeling off! Do it again, and it’s custom for my kind to possess you to return the favor!” Regardless of that incident, he still was able to move past it and enjoy himself, somewhat (as much as a rude, grumpy spirit can do).

For once, Huohuo smiled brightly and was looking at the treelines across the other side of the shore while playfully kicking her feet that were soaking in the currents. That’s when she saw… something odd in the distance. It was faint and extremely difficult to see, but it appeared to be a thin person peering out from behind a tree, staring at her. The person’s face was the only notable part, being that it kind of looked like some sort of mask was covering their entire head, leaving no part revealed. However, it was too far away to determine what kind of mask it was. The figure stared at Huohuo for a full ten seconds, neither of them reacted or broke eye contact (a rare feat for her).

Finally feeling the fear and weight from the figure and keeping her eyes open for so long, she blinked and the person was gone, like they were never there to begin with… Wracked with fear, she looked over at everyone else, but they didn’t seem to have seen what she saw, even Tail, who was still minding his own business just like he’s been doing. Due to these unusual circumstances, Huohuo decided not to tell anyone about it. She didn’t want to cause another commotion like the one from last night and cause everyone trouble/frustration at another false alarm, so she kept it to herself. And so, for the rest of the day, she tried her best to forget about it and have fun. It was hard and it still lingered in the back of her mind, but she was eventually able to go back to relaxing.

She didn’t see the person again for the remainder of the day, and she managed to enjoy some quality time spent with her friends on this fun vacation. They all played in the creek until sundown, where they then went back to the cabin and slept early in the night, too tired from all the physical activity to do anything else. And with that, they eagerly awaited the next day…

…

The next day turned out to be the most busy one of the entire trip. Wanting to make the most out of their final full day there, Guinaifen decided to save the best planned activity for last: carving and painting pumpkins! Waking up early in the morning, she led the others to the pumpkin patch. It was located a good fifteen minutes from their cabin, and through a wooded trail that concealed its location. Surprisingly, no one really talked on the trip there, since the beauty of the nature surrounding them spoke more than any words. All the while, Huohuo anxiously looked all around her, looking near the trees for the figure she saw the previous day, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. She tried her best to not focus on it, wanting to have the same fun she had previously.

When they all arrived at the pumpkin patch, they spent a minute observing the nice scenery that accompanied it. It was a large, open field located in a clearing in the forest, with grass spreading as far as the eye could see. Dozens and dozens of pumpkins lined the field, some big and some small, some young and some old, and some fresh and some rotten. There weren’t many other notable features in the clearing, only a small, old barn and a very long plastic table with various carving/painting tools on it. A farmer stood behind the table, waiting to assist anyone who needed it, though no one else was there except them.

“Woah, it’s so cozy!”, Guinaifen exclaimed, “It’s even better than I imagined!” Sushang put her arm around her best friend excitedly, before letting go and getting ready to dive into the fun. “You said it, Little Gui! I can’t wait to see more of this fun-sounding Halloween activity. Let’s go, I’ve been itching to try this the whole time I’ve been here!”, she said. Nodding, Guinaifen smiled mischievously and challenged her by saying: “Race ya there!” She burst into a quite fast sprint before her friend could even react, her graceful running skills owing to her street-performer talents. A second of surprise overtook Sushang, then shifting to excitement as she proceeded to run after her, wanting to get there first.

Stelle saw this and with her trademark blank face, declared, “I know what I’m going to paint on my pumpkin’s gyatt!”, in a cringey way while clapping her hands together with determination in her body language. She also sprinted towards the pumpkins, fantasizing about who-knows-what in terms of what she was going to do (it likely involved memes or trash cans in some way). Seeing all this, Huohuo smiled weakly, feeling better about her paranoia after seeing her fellow squad members so joyful. “E-Everyone is having such a good time… I would also like to as well. Should we join them, Mr. Tail?”, she wondered. Tail, who was back to posing as her flaming tail (in order to not scare off unknowing people), just gave off an ambivalent: “Hmph…” She took that as a yes (since an “I don’t care” type of response from Tail was a positive sign), so she slowly proceeded to walk towards the center of the patch, wanting to take it slow so she could manage her anxiety better.

Everyone got to work on finding and beginning to customize their ideal pumpkins. Guinaifen and Sushang both picked out twin pumpkins that were identical in every way, from shape to size to ripeness. They both carved them into Jack-O’-Lanterns and painted different designs on them, with Guinaifen painting a Diting on hers and Sushang painting a giant “phoenix” on hers (which looked more like a round chicken instead). They also enjoyed some candy on the side while Guinaifen taught her how to carve and dispose of the goo properly, which Sushang was VERY grateful for (she didn’t like slimy stuff very much). Stelle, meanwhile, picked out the largest, most rotten pumpkin in the entire patch and painted an ugly-looking trash can on it (because of course she did). Despite the paint job being crude, warped, and smelling bad, she started to salivate at her self-proclaimed “masterpiece”, euphoric that the brown, rotten pumpkin portrayed her love of trash perfectly.

However, while everyone else had spent at least half-an-hour already picking out their pumpkins and painting them, Huohuo had only just selected one, wracked with indecisiveness. She chose a medium-sized pumpkin that was not too young and not too old, and not too ripe and not too rotten. It was perfectly average yet just right. She didn’t have Tail to help her, who was sleeping while acting as a tail, so it was difficult to do things on her own, since she wasn’t used to it.

But now, she had to do what she was dreading the most: going up to the farmer and asking for paint (she didn’t want to risk messing up the carving process). This required her to talk to a complete stranger, something her social anxiety made quite difficult for her. Still, while she was terrified of this, she had to do it and not rely on Tail so much. Plus, she went through way worse before (quite recently, too), which is how she eventually worked up the courage to pick up her pumpkin (which was heavy to her) and nervously walk over to the farmer’s table, where her friends were on the far end on either side (which helped somewhat).

Placing her pumpkin on the table with a soft thud, Huohuo begrudgingly looked up at the farmer, forcing herself to smile at them. The farmer beamed happily at her and said, “Howdy, there! What can I do for you?”, in a very friendly tone. Her legs were shaking at this point and she tried her best to take a deep breath and reply to them. “...C-C-Could I… h-have some paint…”, she stuttered out, “...for m-my… pumpkin, p-please…?” While there was a very faint hint of confusion and pity in the farmer’s eyes, they chose to continue expressing their welcoming attitude to ease the awkwardness. “Sure, comin’ right up! What kinda colors do ya need?”, they asked. This threw her for a loop, since she didn’t consider what she was going to paint before asking for it. She internally cursed herself for not thinking ahead (when she usually did).

She thought for a moment before coming up with her answer in her thoughts, which she recited in her head before saying to the farmer: “...A-All of… y-your options, please…!” Thankfully, this satisfied the farmer, who pulled out a plastic bin of paint tubes from under the table and responded with, “Got it, missy! Use ‘em wisely now, you hear?”, while still wearing that same smile from right before. With the exchange now coming to a close, Huohuo started to relax ever so slightly. She nodded weakly and picked up the bin and her pumpkin and walked off with it, not wanting to be there longer with the stranger than she had to. She wanted to say some sort of gratitude or closing remark, but she couldn’t find any words and she was still overwhelmed by the social pressure, so she hoped the farmer could understand that she wasn’t being rude. Nevertheless, she was very pleased with herself for once, as she handled that situation better than she had before. She finally felt like she could be somewhat independent, and that finally made her let go of her worries for the time being.

Once she found a free spot at the table, she got to work on painting her pumpkin. She took the paints and mixed them masterfully, before painting the colors she wanted. Over the course of the next hour, she took painstaking efforts to make sure the subject of her artwork was captured accurately. Her decision was simple yet so obvious: Tail, since he was easy to draw and would look nice on a pumpkin, Huohuo thought. Her experience as a judge-in-training at the Ten-Lords Commission definitely helped. Tail slept through all of this, which she thought was a good thing (she had a feeling he wouldn’t like to see himself get complimented). And upon finishing the painting, she smiled and felt… proud of something that she did for once. She couldn’t wait to show the others, since she worked so hard and achieved so many things for herself that day.

Unfortunately, all of that was interrupted by an odd sound. It sounded like… a whole flock of birds cawing loudly, mainly crows. Huohuo looked up at the late afternoon sky, which contained a flock of about two dozen crows that were flying erratically, like they were disturbed by something… As if they somehow noticed she was staring at them, the flock redirected their flight and began to barrel right down towards the ground, straight at her!

Of course, right on cue, she screamed loudly and began to run away from them, like a scene out of a cheesy horror movie. “Aahh…!! No, no!!”, she screamed loudly, “W-Why are you chasing me…!? Can’t I ever catch a break!?” This commotion woke Tail up, who detached from her and went on the defensive. “Ugh, this brat is so loud! I really can’t leave her alone for more than five seconds… Oh, that’s it! NOBODY INTERRUPTS MY SLEEP…!”, he commanded with ferocity in his eyes. In an instant, he shapeshifted from his usual form into his true, wolf-like one. The canine spirit grinned maliciously before letting out a fearsome roar that rivaled even Ignamar The Great’s power. This dispelled the flock of rabid crows extremely effectively and they all flew off in different directions, no longer interested in taunting anyone. And then, Tail morphed back into his regular appearance. He let out a loud breath and a little laugh while snarkingly remarking: “Ha! That should teach them! Seriously, what were they thinking, messing with ME like that!?”

Huohuo, who was still hyperventilating, was frozen in shock. Tail looked at her and asked, “Hm? What’s the matter with you, pipsqueak? Did my true form scare you too much? Nah, that can’t be it, you’ve seen it before! So, why are you looking at me like that?”, repeatedly in a very subtle concerned tone. This seemed to snap her out of her trance, and she ran up to him and embraced him briefly, holding him like a treasured cat or something. Tail was caught completely by surprise from this, gasping from the sudden display of gratitude.

When she let him go, Huohuo took a few deep breaths and addressed his kind-hearted actions. “T-Thank you, Mr. Tail…! I d-didn’t know what to do…”, she said thankfully, “But you proved once again that you’re as reliable as ever. I know it’s weird to say now, but I’m glad I met you!” This sweet comment led to a rare instance of Tail looking surprised, but naturally, it was replaced with fake disgust and sarcasm. He bounced up in a mixture of passion and anger and said: “Yeesh, stop it with the positivity, it’s making me sick! And I’m only reliable because I’m stuck here with you as your dumb tail! Leave all that mushy stuff behind from now on, okay? I just did what I had to, but mostly it was because I woke up in a bad mood, that’s all!” She giggled at his (possible) attempt to cheer her up and stroke his own ego at the same time, her fear disappearing.

Afterwards, the rest of the group (including the farmer) caught each other up to speed on what occurred. All misunderstandings were cleared up, and everyone got back together, getting ready to go back to the cabin for the final night there. They grabbed their pumpkins and complimented each other kindly on each of their pumpkins’ artworks (even for Stelle’s, though that one was kind of an obligation to be nice). Tail pretended not to like Huohuo’s, but he was still smiling and impressed by how much it captured his sense of self. And as they left, the sun was beginning to set and everybody was in such a good mood, the best on the trip so far; it had been a great final day to spend there.

Though as they neared the cabin once more, Huohuo still couldn’t help but wonder if all the weird paranormal-like stuff that had been happening had really been all in her head as part of her anxiety. Only she seemed to notice any of it, so was it really all just a coincidence? It didn’t matter to her, as there was only one night left, and nothing more strange than the flock of crows trying to attack her could possibly happen, right…?

…

It was finally nighttime once all five of them got back to the cabin. Nonetheless, it wasn’t late enough for all of them to want to go to bed right away. Huohuo, who was feeling good from her reconciliation with Tail earlier, actually was the one to suggest a final activity for them to do together. She wanted to watch another horror movie, a PG-13 rated one this time, since she felt like she could handle something slightly more intense at that point. The others were impressed by her bravery, so they indulged in it for her.

A little while later, as she was about to make a decision on what movie to watch as she scrolled through the cable TV’s guide, something ominous began to happen… The video feedback turned to complete static, complete with hissing and everything. As she covered her ears, she looked back at the screen and saw what appeared to be a ghostly face pressed up against the glass on the OTHER side of the screen, a large eye watching down on it as well. Being utterly shocked by this, Huohuo dropped the remote and kept pointing to the screen while gasping, not being able to say anything out of fear. This time, unlike the other incidents, everyone else seemed to notice it. “W-What in the Reignbow Arbiter’s name is THAT!? This can’t be real!”, Sushang stated, her voice having a slight quivering fear in it. Stelle, using her small brain, explained with, “Maybe the cabin’s being possessed by a poltergeist?”, as if that helped anyone feel more calm about the creepy situation. Huohuo shook in fear even more from this suggestion.

Their mass confusion was further interrupted by the old-fashioned landline phone in the kitchen ringing, making a loud beeping noise in the process. Everyone froze from this not-very-likely coincidence, making it seem all like it was planned out by whatever was causing all this. Feeling the least amount of fear out of everyone there (except Tail, who seemed more suspicious than anything else), Guinaifen said: “I’ll get it. We’re stars on Ghostly Grove, we should be used to this by now!” This unnerved Sushang more and made her audibly more worried than before. “Hey, Little Gui? Maybe that isn’t such a good idea…”, she said, “What if something bad happens? This is too risky…” But she already made up her mind, and there was no stopping her once she did that.

With great confidence, Guinaifen picked up the receiver and said, “Hello, who is this? This is Little Gui speaking.”, like it was no big deal. “Seven days…”, a professional yet odd-sounding voice stated in an almost whisper-like tone. She gave a bewildered look of uneasiness before following up with: “What do you mean by “seven days”? You’re not making any sense!” The voice made a throat-clearing sound before explaining further. “Seven days…”, they elaborated, “Until your car insurance expires. With our affordable plans, you save up to 15% on car insur-!” She put the receiver back in its holder and ended the call before the salesperson could even finish. Feeling the need to clarify the weird coincidence, she groaned, “It was just insurance spam, nothing scary at all… What a waste!”, while feeling disappointed that she got scared for nothing. Seizing the opportunity, Stelle tried to (unsuccessfully) lighten the mood. “I don’t know, insurance offers are still pretty scary.”, she joked.

Not feeling quite out of the woods just yet, Tail spoke at last about his gut feelings (even though he’s just a spirit and doesn't have any) regarding the situation. “You’re telling me… That strange ghost is still on the screen, so something’s going on!”, he stated, “Regardless of that idiotic phone call, someone is trying to scare us for sure! And my intuition tells me that something bad is about to happen…” He was spot on, as the moment he finished that sentence, the power went out throughout the whole cabin yet again.

As the whole room plunged into darkness, with only Tail providing light, Huohuo screamed and had a realization that the others hadn't considered at that second. Standing up and breathing slower to make her words clearer, she courageously hinted: “...W-W-Whatever caused the power to… g-go out must also be… r-responsible for it going out the other night! This must all b-be connected, and it wants to be known, w-whatever it is… We m-must find it!” That’s when it clicked for everyone else, and they realized just how keen her observation truly was. Sushang took a step closer, now that her eyes adjusted to the dark somewhat, and eagerly replied with, “Y-Yeah, we can’t let this ghost get away with this! If we truly are the Ghost-Hunting Squad, then we must get rid of any bad ghosts. They won’t wanna mess with us!”, while trying her best to banish her fears away. Deep down, Huohuo had some doubt that a ghost was behind this, since some things didn’t add up. Still, some things seemed paranormal, so she didn’t say anything further.

“Well said, Shangshang! We gotta make sure this troll knows what hits ‘em!”, Guinaifen said while getting out her phone in preparation for something, “That’s why I must stream this live to our audience! It’ll help us find the ghost easier and make for a fun, creepy experience, like those cheesy found-footage horror movies! Cameras can definitely detect spirits better than our measly eyes can! Besides, we can use my phone’s flashlight to see better! I’m so smart!” This swift change in tone from her friend caused Sushang to question her motives. “Really, that’s your plan? That stuff only works in movies! I’m a Cloud Knight, not a Clout Knight! We should really be taking this more seriously, Little Gui…”, she complained. It was too late to change her mind once again, and she was convinced it would work. She opened Ghostly Grove and began to stream through there on her phone’s camera with the flashlight turned on, illuminating the footage.

[Transcription of Ghostly Grove User LilGuiGuinevere’s “Vacation Ghost” Livestream Video, Starting at the Timestamp: 0:00:

*A near pitch black living room is seen. The flashlight illuminates a powered off ancient cable TV set, no one else appears in frame.*

Guinaifen: “There! We’re now live! Hey, everybody! Little Gui here!”

*The camera moves to the left and Tail is seen, looking annoyed.*

Tail: “You’re actually doing this… I can’t believe it! This is such a waste of time!”

Guinaifen: “Don’t be such a bummer! This just might work out!”

*The camera then moves to the right and Stelle is seen, wearing a deadpan expression. She waves her hands excitedly at the camera, greeting it.*

Stelle: “Skibidi toilet has all the rizz!”

Sushang: “Would somebody please just take this seriously! Any of you?”

*The camera moves even further to the left than before, where Huohuo is shaking nervously, not reacting to the camera’s presence.*

Huohuo: “I can do this, I can do this…”

*The camera then flips to mirror mode, where Guinaifen’s face is briefly seen.*

Guinaifen: “It’s time to start looking for clues! First, we’ll start by investigating the TV, where some spectral activities happened a little earlier.”

*The camera flips back to the regular mode and it slowly starts to inch towards the TV set. The focus never shifts or loses its subject matter.*

Guinaifen: “I don’t see anything off about it… Since the power’s cut, the ghost probably moved elsewhere… So, let’s try that ourselves!”

*The camera spins a full 180 degrees to the left, sweeping over Tail and then Huohuo. A wooden staircase is seen and the stairs going upward lead into further darkness.*

Guinaifen: “That’s where we’ll be going next! The only other place down here is the kitchen area, and there’s no way the ghost can hide anywhere there. Up there, we’ll check the bedrooms!”

*At this point, three users join the livestream and continue watching for the rest of the video, and no else joins or leaves afterwards. The camera slowly inches towards the first step. Many loud footsteps echo throughout the cabin, the other four following Guinaifen from close behind.*

Huohuo: “...I-I’m scared…!”

Tail: “Then stay down here, then! No one is forcing you to participate in this pointless, trendsetting social media garbage!”

Huohuo: “N-No! I don’t want to be alone in this dark place!”

Tail: “Fine, be that way! Don’t come crying to me if you get scared, though…”

*Every few seconds, the recorder goes up a single step, a loud creaking sound is heard each time. The camera bounces slightly when this happens. This process is repeated about fifteen times total.*

TileGamer4ever: (Wow, this is way more fun than working! I’m sure my boss won’t mind, since this is sorta educational, ig.)

Sushang: “Will we really find anything up here, Little Gui? I feel like a ghost wouldn't be this obvious…”

Guinaifen: “Sure we will, fam! There’s not many more places it could hide!”

*The camera reaches the top of the staircase and four doors can be seen in a small hallway with a window outside on the very end, likely three bedrooms and one bathroom. The camera goes to the leftmost one first after stopping for a few seconds.*

Guinaifen: “Let’s check me and Shangshang’s room first. It’s the closest one to the stairs.”

Say~Cheese~: (Oh! This is gonna start getting good right about now!)

*The camera gets right in front of the wooden door and a hand is seen turning the knob and opening it. The light shines into the room, which consists of a closet and a giant king-sized bed. There’s nothing else that seems out of the ordinary. The recorder goes inside, glancing all over the bed and walls, but finds nothing.*

Stelle: “Where are you, ghostie? Come out and play catch with me. I’ll show you the true might of the Galactic Baseballer once my bat meets your ectoplasmic face! Don’t make me get serious and pull out the lance. I swear, I WILL do it!”

Sushang: “How do you always have so much fearless energy? It must be a requirement for being a Trailblazer…”

Sigma_Wolf: (this corny narration is rlly killing the vibe & tension for me. imo)

Say~Cheese~: (Wait… Why is Stelle in this video!? I thought she was supposed to be on vacation! What kinda trouble did she cause now?)

*The camera moves towards the closet, the only place that they haven’t checked yet. Guinaifen’s hand hesitates for a second before swiftly yanking the doors open, revealing nothing inside.*

Guinaifen: “Looks like this room is all clear. Let’s head to Huohuo’s next!”

Huohuo: “I-I got a bad feeling about this…”

*The camera turns around and retraces its previous path. It moves past the other four, with Huohuo and Sushang looking nervous, Tail looking bored, and Stelle looking stoic. Exiting out into the hallway, it moves towards the door directly across from it. This time, the door is opened quicker and the search begins to go faster, with the bed being sweeped in only about fifteen seconds.*

Stelle: “Could it be in here?”

TileGamer4ever: (I’m so on edge right now. The mystery is killing me! Like not knowing if you’re gonna win a round of Celestial Jade or not.)

Sigma_Wolf: (its in the closet, isnt it?)

*The camera turns and lingers on the closet doors for a few seconds and no sounds are heard. Then, a chain-like sound of something being pulled repeatedly is heard, like an old tool/machine. This continues for a couple more seconds, before the whirring of a chainsaw is heard ringing loudly. A thin person wearing overalls and a full-head hockey mask proceeds to burst from out the closet, wielding a fully-functional and real chainsaw. The masked intruder gazes at the camera, unnatural gray eyes peering behind the eye holes that shine in the flashlight’s glare. In an instant, they rush towards the recorder, which leads to her dropping the phone.*

Guinaifen: “Run!!”

Sushang: “What the hell!? This can’t be happening!”

Huohuo: “Aaahhh…!!! HELP…!!!”

*A few more brief seconds of screaming, yelling, and running footsteps are heard. The chainsaw’s motor roars and grows slightly quieter as the masked person is heard chasing after the rest of them. Only blackness is seen the entire time this happens, and the stream ends the shortly after the phone hits the floor, ending the video at the timestamp: 4:45*]

The entire Ghost-Hunting Squad practically flew out of the bedroom and tripped over each other to get down the stairs, away from their psychotic pursuer. As they reached the bottom, they could hear the chainsaw right behind them. Sushang was worried that the intruder would keep chasing after all of them until they all got tired, which would mean certain danger. So, she quickly formulated a plan and desperately shouted: “Everybody, split up!! Quick!” Nobody said anything back, but they all knew it was the only chance they had at disorienting the intruder enough so where they could stop them.

The moment everyone got off the staircase, they all ran off in different directions. Guinaifen and Sushang ran towards the living room, Stelle and Tail ran towards the kitchen, and Huohuo ran towards the door that led outside. However, in what seemed to be a cruel twist of fate, the intruder seemed to change their course drastically by shifting away from everyone else and doubling down on barreling after Huohuo, as if she was the pursuer's target the entire time. She let out a bloodcurdling scream upon realizing this and she sped up her small legs to move twice as fast as before.

She flung the door open and almost ripped it off its hinges once she reached it. And in a half thought out plan to fight back somehow, she grabbed her pumpkin she painted earlier that day as she stepped off the porch, hoping that it would help her. The intruder crossed the threshold after her just a couple of seconds later, signifying that they were outside with her now. At that moment, Huohuo had to make a choice on where to run towards. She was outside, which meant that she was at a huge disadvantage, since there was nowhere to hide and she would eventually tire out after running so much… She cursed herself for not thinking this decision through, but she had no time to think too hard about it. So, she nearly instantly decided to run towards the creek, hoping that the water would slow them down and that it would also help her friends catch up to them and stop them.

She rounded the corner of the cabin, almost slipping from the pumpkin’s weight and her labored running. It was hard to see, but some sort of instinct and memory sense guided her forward. All the while, she could hear the intense yet fast crunching of the leaves behind her, and they were gradually getting closer… Her paranoia hit a fever pitch and she couldn't shake the feeling that whoever this intruder was, they had something against her specifically. That, and something bigger was behind every last bit of all the strange events that had plagued her vacation. She knew that the figure she saw at the creek yesterday and the person who shut off the power (both times) were undoubtedly her pursuer. Whatever the case was, she had no time to think about it right that second, her survival took much higher priority.

A full moon illuminated the dimly lit night sky and the sounds of crows cawing ominously were what met Huohuo as she got near the creek after what felt like hours of running (even though it’s only 300 feet away from the cabin). By that point, she felt exhausted from running so much while carrying her pumpkin. Once more, she didn’t think that decision through enough and it only tired her out faster and weighed her down. With her speed slowing, she knew she wouldn’t outrun the pursuer, as she was out of breath while they didn’t seem to be phased, even with carrying a heavy chainsaw. So, as a last ditch effort, she decided to stop and turn around to face them, winding up her arms and using her pumpkin as an aiming marker. She quickly looked up and saw that they were only about five seconds away from reaching her, the chainsaw growing unbearably loud as it got closer. Interestingly, she also noticed how they seemed to stumble and struggle to hold the chainsaw properly, something that she hadn't noticed before. It’s like they were a frail person that wasn’t typically used to this much intense physical activity, and something felt familiar about them…

When the pursuer got within a few steps from Huohuo, she screamed and got ready to chuck the pumpkin at them. But then, a loud and aggravated-sounding voice yelled, “Hey!! Look over here, you psycho!! I’m here to pay you back for ruining my sleep and messing with my host!”, with such ferocity. The intruder stopped dead in their tracks and whipped around to see Tail zooming right for them at an extremely fast speed with a manic expression on his face. Before they could even raise their chainsaw to attack him, the angry heliobus attempted to go straight into their head, so he could possess them and stop them from being hostile. But for some unknown reason, the moment he tried to go into their mind, he got immediately pushed back out, as if something was already in there… “Huh…? Why can’t I possess this guy?”, he said in frustration, “There aren't many things that can stop a heliobus from doing this! Maybe something’s going on internally…”

His pondering was interrupted by more footsteps coming from behind him, multiple other pairs of them this time. They belonged to Stelle, Guinaifen, and Sushang. All three of them stopped and proceeded to fiercely draw out their weapons. Stelle had her usual baseball bat and Sushang had her greatsword, while Guinaifen surprisingly had out some firecrackers that were leftover from New Year’s. The masked person seemed to snap out of their daze after seeing this, and they pointed their chainsaw at the warriors, ready to rush them (even though they’re at a small disadvantage, being outnumbered and all).

This caused a flaw to be put into the pursuer's rampage, since they were turned away from Huohuo and severely distracted. Using this chance, she aimed her pumpkin at their masked head once again. Her frail arms gathered the strength to wind up and shift the pumpkin’s weight into a throwing position. “I-I will not be the final girl…!! I will sacrifice my cute pumpkin to stop you!! Here, have it!”, she yelled. Her Tail-painted pumpkin flew out of her hands, smashing against the back of the intruder’s head and splattering goo/pieces everywhere.

Sadly, the now-annihilated pumpkin didn’t seem to do much to stop them. They shook angrily for a second, then turning to face Huohuo. A piercing gaze could be felt from under the mask, and they revved up the chainsaw’s motor, spinning the blades faster with intimidation. She screamed bloody murder once again, her fear becoming very apparent. Luckily, the pumpkin assault provided enough of an opening for a voice to yell, “Batter up!”, in a heroic manner. Stelle’s baseball bat met the back of the intruder’s head, making a loud bang in the process. They instantly fell on their knees, dropping the chainsaw (which switched off upon landing on the ground) and clutching their head in pain. This second distraction gave enough time for Guinaifen and Sushang to grab both of the pursuer's arms tightly, restraining them from moving or getting up. Guinaifen looked over at Huohuo, who was just starting to look over and calm down at the situation being handled effectively, and reassuringly said: “Got ‘em! It’s okay now, they can’t hurt us anymore!” She nodded and stepped closer to the masked stalker, feeling more calm that she contributed to their downfall.

“It’s time to reveal who you really are!”, Stelle proclaimed. She then walked over to the crouched person and removed their hockey mask in classic murder mystery style. Once she saw whose face was under that mask, she gasped loudly and dropped it out of shock. The ugly visage and annoying-looking person turned out to be… Skott! “Wait, Skott!? That can’t be!”, Sushang asked in extreme confusion, “What is he even doing here!? This doesn't make any sense!” Skott shook his head slightly and groaned in pain while saying, “Owww… Did you have to hit me that hard? Using this body was already difficult enough…”, in his toxic and know-it-all voice. Something was off about his voice, however. It sounded echoey and didn’t resemble his usual rude speech patterns. While everyone seemed to notice this, Tail’s suspicions were finally proven correct when he suddenly said: “So that’s why I couldn’t possess you… You already were possessed by another heliobus! I’ve had enough of this crap! Come on out and face us, Cirrus!”

A stunned silence enveloped the group as Skott’s body writhed and glowed for a second before Cirrus emerged, their punchable eye hovering above his body. “Here I am. You happy now?”, Cirrus said in an annoyed tone, “You finally caught on that it was me doing this. No wonder you were capable enough to defeat me back on the Luofu…” Once everybody else’s disbelief subsided, Huohuo finally spoke up again, her fears almost being completely gone. “...I-I don’t understand… Why are you here? Y-You should be imprisoned at Fyxestroll Garden. You gave me such a bad scare!”, she said. Cirrus squinted their eye and replied, “Oh, I definitely did! That was my goal, to scare all of you for what you did to me. Especially you, judge! And it looks like I succeeded greatly! It was worth possessing this loser’s body to do it.”, while gazing at her with malice.

Skott then began to regain consciousness after Cirrus’s insults. He thrashed around for a bit before Guinaifen and Sushang let him go, no longer seeing him as a threat (not that he ever was on his own). He pulled out his pair of stupid shades from his overalls and put them on, which made him look even more pathetic. As he dusted off himself, he said: “I can’t believe I got possessed for this long. Me, a VIP IPC employee, I deserve better than this! You were supposed to leave my body the moment I snuck you out of Fyxestroll Garden, not make me wear these old farmer clothes and use a dangerous tool to chase children! I’ll have you sued into the ground for this!”

“Hold on a sec, so you’re saying that you wanted to join forces with Cirrus just so you could both get back at us for humiliating you?”, Guinaifen interrogated, “And you put your reputation and career in danger, all to ruin our vacation? That’s pretty lame, even for a bully like you…” Of course, Skott played the victim and acted all offended, as if he didn’t do anything wrong. “Hmph! I’m not a bully, I was the one whose body was used like a tool to torment you, not me. Sure, I wanted to get back at you, but that’s only because your stupid little friend made me bark like a dog at Aurum Alley, humiliating me in front of everyone! I deserve compensation!”, he said. Instead of being offended by Skott’s jab at her (if she even noticed), Stelle said, “Why are your eyes still gray and weird-looking? Are you still possessed?”, as the first thing that popped in her head. Skott clenched his fists in annoyance and retorted with: “NO! My eyes naturally look like this! That’s why I wear these cool shades. People have always mocked me for them, even as a kid…” This seemed to satisfy Stelle’s childlike curiosity.

Things were starting to get really off topic, so Cirrus wanted to steal the spotlight and brag about their accomplishments once more in a narcissistic fashion. “Yes, it was all me. This stupid human was just my vessel to scare you all! I followed you here for maximum effect.”, they gloated, “I was behind it all: the blackouts, the footsteps, the figure watching you from the forest, the crows being all frightened, the TV interference, and the chase! Well, except the phone call… but that was still fun to see. I enjoyed seeing you all suffer and scream, and it made this revenge all the more worth it! Ha ha ha!”

Tail, who had enough at this point, floated closer to Huohuo and began to think of a rude, snarky remark to say to them. “Ugh, will you just SHUT UP already!? We all know it was you and your idiotic accomplice! You think your petty revenge was clever? Pfft… It was more inconvenient and immature, honestly! And you’re pretty screwed up to think this is all fun. Anyway, I'm tired of you already. Dealing with you in the past was enough for my entire existence to handle! You should just give up already and knock it off, and we’ll help you do just that… Huohuo, if you would.”, he said. Understanding what he was implying at the end of his monologue, Huohuo prepared a spiritual talisman designed for sealing heliobi for a few days, taking it out of her pocket and getting ready to use it to lock Cirrus away.

This was interrupted by them saying: “Hold on! Skott is such a dumb coward, so I know the perfect way to show that to you. And so I can do one last fun thing with you all!” They immediately went back into Skott’s body and possessed him once more before anyone could object. That’s when Skott got up on all fours and started to eat the grass/leaves on the ground. “Moo. Moo! MOO…!”, he went. He just kept on saying “moo” like a cow over and over again for a few minutes, to everyone’s shock. Eventually, Cirrus stopped and left his body. He coughed up dirt and other plants for a good while, trying to get the awful taste out of his mouth and being too embarrassed to say anything. “Ha ha ha ha ha! Okay, I’m done!”, they explained, “You can go back to using the talisman now. I just HAD to get that out of my system, or else it would’ve haunted me for the rest of my days!” No one knew what to say to that, so they just remained silent about all the absurdity. Huohuo shook it off and went back to readying the talisman for use near them.

Unexpectedly, Cirrus was not disturbed by the talisman. Instead, they were indifferent towards it. Their eye blinked slowly as they said, “Go ahead, seal me back to where I came from, I don’t mind. I got what I wanted. I’ll stay put, until I get bored again… Let’s do this again sometime!”, in a mocking way. Huohuo shook her head and answered with: “N-N-No thanks…” In an instant, she placed the talisman on them and they vanished in a flash of bright light. The light faded from view and seemed to travel inside the object, out of sight with no trace left behind. It glowed for a few seconds before going quiet, and peace returned.

She put the talisman back in her pocket and breathed a sigh of relief. “Phew… Glad that’s over with!”, Sushang said while wiping the sweat off her brow, “That dumb heliobus just never leaves us alone, do they? At least the problem is solved now!” “Looks like another case has been solved by the Ghost-Hunting Squad!”, Stelle said with excitement. Guinaifen stretched in relaxation before asking: “What do we do with Skott, though? Plus, that talisman won’t hold Cirrus forever… Should we call for someone on the Luofu?” Huohuo nodded and replied with, “I-I’ll use my phone to contact the Ten-Lords Commission. Someone should be here to fetch the talisman tomorrow morning, around the time we have to leave. As for Mr. Skott… He’ll be transferred to the Shackling Prison for his crimes, and we will have to keep him detained until they pick him up tomorrow at the same time…”, in a tired demeanor. She was exhausted from everything and finally felt safe enough to go to sleep.

“Oh, this is just splendid! First I get humiliated AGAIN, then I have to face criminal charges and possibly lose my job! This sucks, someone as great as me deserves better!”, Skott whined. Tail rolled his eyes and remarked: “Ugh… Quit your whining! It’s your own fault for agreeing to help someone like Cirrus to escape. Your grudge is also so pathetic that you don’t deserve any sympathy, and it’s what got us into this situation! So I don’t wish to hear it, brat! And I’ve got my eye on you if you try to escape in the middle of the night…” Skott scoffed at the insult, but fell quiet, realizing that it was futile to resist. “Great job, everyone! I knew we could do it, since we’re such a nice team!”, Guinaifen stated, “Now let’s head back to the cabin, fam! We gotta leave tomorrow and we have a lotta preparations to do, then we can get a good night’s rest. We deserve it! While our vacation may’ve gotten derailed, I still had fun and this became more memorable than I expected!” Sushang put her arm around her best friend playfully and followed up with, “Yeah… I still enjoyed the trip and learned a lot about Halloween, minus the scary stuff… Ha ha!”, in a cautiously optimistic tone.

Then, the entire group (with Skott in tow) laughed and reminisced about their adventures as they walked back to the cabin. Huohuo contacted the Ten-Lords Commission and they all prepared to leave the next morning. Finally, they got a peaceful sleep, while Tail watched Skott to make sure he didn’t try anything funny (he was too scared by Tail to do much, so he just shook the whole time in fear). And with that, their final night of their vacation drew to a close…

…

The next morning, after settling everything, the Ghost-Hunting Squad left their cabin and started to leave. Then, they met up with their contacts who would take the talisman containing Cirrus and also take Skott away, Xueyi and Hanya from the Ten-Lords Commission. Due to a preestablished familiarity, they all talked to each other for a few minutes, wanting to catch up on what they missed and explain any further details about the incidents they hadn’t already before.

“I have to thank you once again for all of your hard work in catching this spirit. We only noticed they were missing from Fyxestroll Garden a little while before you contacted us. We might have not found them if it wasn’t for you. We will strengthen the security surrounding their prison from now on. Once again, thank you very much.”, Hanya said. Xueyi nodded at her younger sister’s comments, saying: “Indeed. Especially to you, Ms. Huohuo. I can tell you’ve grown considerably in mind and body since coming here. Your bravery has yielded great results, and I’m proud I get to see that. You shall become an adequate judge if you keep going at this pace…”

Huohuo didn’t feel the same way, and in her usual self-deprecating attitude, she deflected the compliments. “N-No, that’s not true… I just try my best, that’s all…”, she said, “I messed up a lot on this vacation, but I managed to get through it. Even though I don’t deserve it, thanks for seeing my efforts! That means a lot…” It wasn’t much, but she had finally started to give herself more credit. While Xueyi’s face remained blank, Hanya’s contorted into a small smile of understanding, awakening her repressed emotions slightly. Her blank stare returned once her mind thought about the work she had to do, and she said, “Now that the accomplice, that Mr. Skott, is on the ship and detained already, I guess it’s time for us to leave and prepare the legal procedures on how to move forward. There’s not much rest for the busy puppets like us… Vacations are a rare sight…”, to keep herself focused.

Feeling her and her sister’s fatigue/longing for some time off, Stelle felt her Trailblazing spirit rising up from within and suggested: “How about you and your sister stay here and relax for the day? The rest of the Ghost-Hunting Squad and I will take care of the Luofu matters. You deserve it and it wouldn't be fair for either of you to not have a vacation when we just finished one in the same location you're in right now. It would make you feel better and you can just take a ship back later in the day… Trust me, the Galactic Baseballer knows what’s best for you two right now!”

Both of them seemed to give off a radiance of surprise yet relief to the suggestion. “Are you certain? Will all of you truly be able to handle such an important responsibility? It’s difficult, but you are all experienced in these sorts of matters by now… I… suppose our superiors won’t mind this…”, Xueyi asked. “Of course, you should know that we got this by now!”, Guinaifen said enthusiastically, “Regardless of our occasional failures, we always come out on top in the end. That’s what makes us so successful to our followers on Ghostly Grove!” Sushang gave a thumbs up to her friend’s comments and said, “Excusing the social media references, it’ll be fine! Everything will be in a secure location and we know how to handle all this stuff. Our little vacation got trampled on by those pranksters, so I feel that it’s our responsibility to make sure they won’t do it again. We’ll get everything back in order, I swear! Cloud Knight’s honor!”, in an encouraging voice.

There was still some doubt among the sisters, so Hanya looked at Tail for some sign of approval, since he was the only one who had yet to say anything. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go enjoy your lives.”, he said after a while, “I got this, I’m the one who stopped Cirrus in the first place! If they try anything funny, I’ll give them a beatdown they’ll never forget!” His rude yet determined statement finally broke down the walls between the sisters and they relaxed a little. “Then, we shall do so. Thank you so much for taking some of our harder work off our shoulders and offering us this fine day of rest…”, Hanya said. Xueyi raised her hand up in gratitude while saying, “You’ve come a long way, Mr. Tail… Sure, I will spend some quality time with my younger sister. I thank you for giving us this rare opportunity, and I will be sure to return the favor someday…”, in a neutral yet very subtly grateful demeanor.

With that all done, the Ghost-Hunting Squad began to get on the ship that would take them back to the Xianzhou Luofu, in which Cirrus and Skott were also on board. Tail secretly liked being called “Mr. Tail” by someone else other than Huohuo, but he acted like he couldn't stand it, like usual. The rest of the friend group posted their experiences on Ghostly Grove (Guinaifen’s video that showed the masked Skott at the end became viral, much to his dismay) and chatted the whole way back, and they surprisingly had no regrets, despite the hardships they faced. In the end, their trials that they faced together was what helped them succeed and have fun…

After they all left, Xueyi and Hanya proceeded to hold each other's hands and wander off to find something to do together. Hanya gripped her older sister’s hand tighter as she smiled brighter for the first time in a long while and suggested: “Xueyi, how about we go to the pumpkin patch? I hear it’s a pleasant experience and we can gaze at nature together, just like we did as children such a long time ago…” The other sister smiled slightly as well, looking similar despite the puppets’ body designs being completely different. Without another word, both of them headed off into the woods to enjoy their mini vacation, this one being completely free from horror and full of nostalgic memories.

[Writer’s Commentary: This overly long idea for a prompt was maybe a little too ambitious. I spent way too much time on the small details and fluffy ideas, but I think they add to the nostalgic quality of this story. The video transcript formatting was something I never tried before and was improvised, but I loved doing it! I might use it more in the future. I based some of these activities and events off of things I experienced in my own childhood, which was a nice touch I loved putting in. The two villain twist was something I came up with while writing this. I planned for Cirrus to be the main villain the whole time, but the Skott idea came out of nowhere, so I had to try it! Maybe it doesn't work, but I like the idea anyway. And the ending was some sweet idea I thought of in order to tie the whole vacation theme into the ending. It's not perfect, but I think it’s beautiful to imagine. Overall, I love the Ghost-Hunting Squad and I’m glad I got to write a good fic about them just in time for Halloween! I hope you enjoyed this (assuming you got this far, that is) and you have a good day!]

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whoslaurapalmer · 3 months ago

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for the ask: a story AND a cute message (mwah ha ha)

OH HO HO.........let's see, now

so, once upon a time, i was in kindergarten. this was, let's say, late 1999. we had the first fire drill of the year, and like, we knew it was coming, we knew it was a fire drill!! we were okay with that!! however, the fire drill happened during snack time. snack time was sacred. the fire alarm goes off, and i am sitting there, eating my snack cookie. (god, what kind of cookie was it?? ............i wish i remembered.)

i think to myself, hmm. it's likely we will come back inside and not finish snack time. that's how the day works, right? that's how the kindergarten day is structured! we will be going past allotted snack time and i won't be able to finish it! (god i can taste the autism in five year old me. she would not be diagnosed for another sevenish years, but the meantime wouldn't be too horrible for her.) what should i do with my cookie? i do not think i can take it with me. i do not want to rush to finish it now.

SO I THREW THE COOKIE AWAY. I THREW THE FUCKING COOKIE AWAY I THREW IT AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!! THERE WAS A BIG TRASH CAN IN THE ROOM (in retrospect it was probably normal-sized, but everything is enormous when you're five) AND I THREW IT AWAY IN THERE

we go outside for the fire drill. we survive, bc it was a fire drill. we come back inside.

and my kindergarten teacher says, let's finish snack time!

five year old me was BAFFLED. let's FINISH SNACK TIME????? MISS B, LET'S FINISH SNACK TIME???????????? IT'S NOT SNACK TIME ANYMORE. AND I THREW AWAY MY COOKIE. AND YOU'RE TELLING ME????? WE CAN FINISH SNACK TIME??????? everyone else sat down to finish their juice and cookie, AND THERE I WAS, COOKIE-LESS. AND IT HAUNTS ME TO THIS DAY, TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER. wish i could remember what kind of cookie it was. chocolate chip? iced oatmeal? does miss b remember? does miss b still teach kindergarten?

anyway, moral of the story is, always make sure you finish your snack time. there is time for your snacks.

a cute message --

so my grandmother called me this afternoon, around, 2:30ish. i picked up almost immediately, bc i was holding my phone (i was walking around all day trying to make a phone call. i did, eventually, make that call!)

me: hi gran gran! gran gran: hi lulu!! were you asleep? me: ??????? no?? gran gran: well, you know! sometimes you get sleepy in the afternoon. i know i do. me: ............you know what, this is true. i gotta give you that.

#sometimes one does get tired in the afternoon. at that point.............we should all eat a cookie #thank you sam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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cutepastelstarsalior · 1 year ago

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Clone high season 2 live blogging

Episode 6

:( the dinner is going to be sold

Yeah I can see why some people don’t like the dinner because of the racial segregation….

Did some guy just buy to eat the dead wife????

👀 disabled Joan!??? Let’s goooooo!!!!! Detective Joan!!!! Awe cute Joan had a cat <3

“Psylly legs is build up nostalgia the legs get psylly”

….So Joan is just stimming???? (I thought she’d had restless leg syndrome)

If people bullied Joan because of her medical stuff, why didn’t Joan help Ghandi when people hated on him for his adhd? Also man does this town have an ableist history…..

Blood pack!!!!! Same big mood with the doctor not handling blood 😩

Yay Joan’s weird French films!!!! DAVID FUCKING TENNANT???!!!!!! <3 ohmgggg I love him as 10

Heyyy trash Mandy Moore lady is back!! :0

Did I meant I love the colors in this show? I do…

Noooooo jfk cheating on Joan? Wait…or not? Hmmm I feel like kissing another girl is bad…..FUCK is this is Total Drama and the Bridgette and Geoff scene >:( damn it!!! (Yes I know that they are 2 different shows but listen……hyperfixation™️ also my mom thought CH was TD lol)

Yay jfk and Harriet told Joan the truth….oh no Joan is going through so many emotions and drinking :0 hmmm 👀 (idk why but the little montage of Joan going rapid through different emotions feels like something bpd???)

Episode 7

Confucius parents took his sister to Bali but not him :( awwww his family didn’t care if he got lost in the dessert. Man Confucius family sucks, no wonder he tried to hard to be popular online, he just wanted attention :(

:( Abe and Joan army friends anymore noooo. Damn. Abe lost Joan and Ghandi, this dude is going through it….

My favorite background clone is Cathrine the Great, I think her design is so cute <3

The bus crash and now JFK brain is bigger….i think you have internal bleeding there bud…

“As a woke straight male ally let me put my lips on this unconscious black women to show how woke and straight I am” ……..topher bud….

Why is George Washtion Clever peanut man getting bigger??

Mr b using a short to cover his head <3

Ew why is jfk vice like that….

“Lo-fi haunted ghost screams” 👀

Smart jfk…Joan taking the lead. I feel like something bad will happen OR this is a dream.

:0 DJ Mr b!!!!!!

Cannibal dessert zombies….. scary!!

JFK calling people darling is cute :) <3

If jfk brain is smarter while in hot weather/if he’s overheating why didn’t this happen when he’s in the gym or doing sports? 👀

Smart jfk face : ☺️🫤

The husbands trying to snort each other 😏👀

Arroyo are gully in southwestern us….meaning the clone home is somewhere between Texas and California….

Joan wants someone who is emotionally intelligent and emotionally available….she and Abe become friends again……I’m guess they’ll end up together?

Episode 8

Oh snap they actually broke up! Also they co-own a tortoise? Cute

..,,,making the whole school sexual……😬 interesting…

“Where do you want the seaman to drop their load”

“For starters in my mouth” HA….🫵🤨 I know what you are doc

Frida having a crush on Cleo! Was not expecting that…Cleo doing her weird flirting again…was DEFINITELY not expecting that….

Harriet x Confucius is a cute ship….their such nerds <3

😬😬😬 the teacher flirting with Abe…:ma’am that not ok

“Virginity is a social construct” asexual Abe real!!!!!!!

I was going to say seaman I love you but I realize that sounds absolutely horrible out of context….

Singing pirates I love you and you talking about lgbt identity..

Topher the pirates thing you’re into Abe….. 👀

JOAN DONT PUT THE TOURTISE IN THE WATER JOAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!! Oh thank goodness Abe rescued the pet

“It’s ok if a minor and a teacher are together” not the fuck it’s not lady!!! Topher why are you filming this???? Call the police????? Topher please 😬😬

Oh thank god she dead. But ahhhhhhhh still hella uncomfortable!!!!!!!!!

The “statutory-rape-death-by-orgasm situation is very troubling” MR B WITH THE FACTS!!!!!!

“So we’re not telling the police?” You can Mr b! Please call the police. Mr b I love you so much for looking out for the students.

Topjer blackmailing Abe because he (topher) is into Joan…..🤨🤨 are you topher?? Are you really??

One one hand, I’m like this is a stupid subplot, Abe just tell Joan how you feel who care about topher and his blackmail. But on the other hand, this situation kind of feels realistic? Like a weird way to talk about victim blaming?

Oh thank god something positive in this shit show….yippie Cleo and Frida got together!!!

Joan underwater with the emotional music…her screaming underwater…..cinema™️ :) Joan and jfk having a nice talk :)…:noooo rip Shelly the tortoise

Background gay couple yay :)

Episode 9

Noooo the husbands are fighting AGAIN….oh yay Joan and Mr b time!!!

Omg Mr b lore!!!!

He has a human twin brother??? HES RELIGIOUS????? Oh snap biracial Mr b 👀

Wait nevermind…. Awww Mr b didn’t know he was a robot :( and nether did his twin

:( noooooooo!!!!!!!! He left his brother 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

OH MY FUCKING GOD Mr b was a sex worker

Noooo Mr b please contact your brother!!!!!

Awew yay Mr b life getting better!!! :0 he got married!!!

Noooo his wife cheated on his and his son wasn’t biological his!!! :(

YES!!!! The twins reunited!!! :0 awew he’s an uncle now!!! Wow 2 nices and 2 nephews!!

NOOOOOOOOOOO HES BROTHER DIED!!!!!!

👀 Mr b was an actor!!!!

🥺 awww he thinks of Joan as his daughter!!!!!!

NO MR B DONT DO IT!!!!!!!!

Oh thank god doc saved him!!!!!!! 🥺

Oh my goddd…..the cliff!!! The choices!!!!!!!

THETE FAMILY AND HE CRIED!!!!

Favorite episode!!!!!!!!

Episode 10

Oh thank god, it’s the last one!!!!

Ponce’s dad is back!!! :)

It’s the last day of the school year…the teens are 16, so there sophomores???

Clone high college :0 oh!!! I was wonder what would happen to the senior class!!

West Dakota?????

Since the sisters didn’t make it into the death maze, do they life? Get immediate killed? I forgot that the government is trying to groom the most successful clones. So I guess this is a survival of the fittest….and since the OG clones were from the first project, this is a very new things. (Trying to make a mental timeline thing.)

The four amgias….

NOOOOO VINCENT DIED (maybe not?)

4 boys who are friends-ish

4 girls who are friends

Battle of the sexist 👀

Also both groups are the main cast….ok not topher he’s more of a side character…but still..

Yay Abe and jfk friendship :)

Ok so this is my 2 favorite episode.

This gives me minor hunger games vibes. The whole government watching kids fight to the death part; not the trying to stop the government and corrupt dystopia part…

Oh hey! That weird one type flute thing, forgot about that! :)

Frida has 2 different shoelaces :)

Joan leaving the group because Frida chose her girlfriend over Joan. I mean, that understanding to be angry, but I don’t think she should leave the group….

Yessss jfk breaking topher phone!! :) now Abe won’t be blackmail anymore!!!

Gay energy jfk x Abe

Lone wolf Joan….hmm maybe she is the most powerful/sussefual clone they made? 👀

Joan setting traps to capture her friends!!!! She IS the most dangerous clone!!!

Ok Joan keeps putting people into holes, either she doing that so she the only one to hit the button and go to college OR she doing that to save everyone from the death maze?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHJHH Joan foster mom standing by Joan, using her daughter and grooming her to be the next leader!!! AHHHHHH I love it!!!!!!! Sidhaisn

!!!!!!!!! Them using the clones as backups!!!! Me think how it was weird that the government would let a clone die so easily!!! They won’t!!!!! The government controlling them to be successful puppets!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! The angst, and tension!!! The betrayal!!!!! Love it!!!!!

👀🥺 doc think of the clones as his children!!!!!!

They lost their memories!!! But Joan giving it back!! Her caring about her friends!!!!

Oh my god the stupid little hands gesture!!!!!! <3

….

That’s it??? THATS the ending? The mother showing everyone what Joan did during the death maze? And everyone being anger at her?

Ok, I feel like the twist to that, if there a season 3 is that her friends will forgive her.

Ok! Thought time!!!!

Ok, the fist half of this so is ROUGH! Like it has an idea (government wanting to groom the kids to be a successful leader) but the comedy and drama got a bit out of hand for the plot. I think want to say around 7-8 is when the show gets more, lore like? Or as close to plot as possible.

This season is VERY Joan centric. It gave her SO much character development. At first I thought it wouldn’t work, it made Joan feel like one of those not like other girls, and loser girl gets popular troupe. The whole love triangle with jfk and Abe was a bit rough. It was weird that Joan decided to be with jfk, after sleeping with him on prom night. But I guess since Abe was with Cleo and Abe only paying attention to Joan after she change herself, it make a TINY bit of scene.

The writing try to make it seems like Joan still loves Abe with that sexual dream she had, but I feel like after that episode, it wasn’t brought up again until episode 7. When Joan wanted jfk to be more emotionally invested in her. Also the whole Abe being in love with Joan? Also the random Abe getting mistreated it felt…..odd?

As for the other characters; out of the OG cast (Abe, ghandi, Joan, Cleo, jfk) only jfk had some character development. At first he was sexual with some emotional intelligence (when he comforts Joan at prom, him and Abe talking in the thinking dock, the whole ponce situation)….in season 2 he was more sexual with some minor emotional scene. I feel like episode 7-10 is were jfk is the most emotionally here.

Cleo….she basically only has 2 episodes for her character development. Episode 4, and Episode 7-8. In episode 4, she gets the crown and gets power hungry, after Joan apologizes to Cleo, she and Joan become friends-ish. In season 1 Cleo and Joan spend a lot of time together, because their parents were dating. They mostly argue but were friends-enemy? So Season 2 feel both a continuation of their season 1 relationship AND just a way to re-write Joan and Cleo relationship.

As for the other episodes? It basically her and Frida because friends to lovers. To be honest while the ship is cute, I wish it was more slow burn?

As for the new clones Harriet and Confusious. I’m mixed. Togher they make a cute couple. But separately I like them more as individuals. Harriet is the most developed out of the 3 new clones. She was awkward and a bit anxious (I think?) around episode 1, then as the show progressed she only hang around Frida, then she became closer friends with Joan. In episode 5 it’s really were Harriet feels the most….developing? She gets angry and worried over feeling Joan about how she feeling about the play! But she expresses herself and that cool!! She also has a weird little friendship with Frida, the 2 of them make a weird little group.

Confusions. At first I didn’t like, he was just a random guy who I hate his outfit. By episode 5, he gets some personal! He wants to have people pay attention to him! And by episode 6- 7, that when you know I bit more about him! He has a rich family who ignores him! His family likes his sister more and seem to emotionally neglect him. He’s a bit lazy and like to go with the flow and not have to work.But besides that…..I can’t think of anything else to say?

Frida. She’s…..there. She hangs out with Abe and Joan and Cleo sometimes. She paints, skateboards, and is the most popular girl in school. Besides that? There not a lot of info about her. It seems like this season had a few too many characters so they made Frida fade into the background…

At first I hate the new Joan new mom. (Candid? I can’t remember her name) I felt like she was a random character that didn’t need to be there. I felt like she was just there to replace the doc and just be annoying? But as the show progressed she was more of a background character that was silly. As for the final; I feel that were she shines the most!! Her wanting her foster daughter to rule the world, that idea is so cool!!!!! I love how she talk to Joan, how proud she was, and how she was going to use the clones as backup or to try to make them more perfect!!! She’s a character a feel like could work If she wasn’t stuck in a comedy.

My b my beloved <3

Topher is a dick. Hate how he blackmails Abe and try to push him and the gross teacher thing. Hate hate the show decided to do that. Like man!! If topper was really into Joan and wanted to blackmail Abe he could have done it a different way!!!!

The humor in this show….don’t feel there? I had like, a few chuckles but that was mostly because from the Doc. Or like from physical gags like the slow float or the couch catching on fire. The animation is fluid and I could see it like, a few times. The colors are a bit brights but I love the background!!! As for the voice acting….its a hit or miss.

5/10

Very Rough start but love the final 3 episodes.

#clone high season 2 #clone high #my thoughts #long post #clone high spoilers #fandom

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itsclydebitches · 2 years ago

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RWBY Volume 9 Trailer

Hello, everyone!

There’s no real need for introductions anymore, so let me dive right in by saying it bluntly: I don’t think this is a good trailer. Not just when it comes to the story we’re getting, but also in regards to the construction of the trailer itself. It tells us incredibly little while merely looking like a complex, exciting adventure.

Let’s start, as always, with our opening shot.

We saw the whole of this Wonderland in our teaser, but this time the map is accompanied by Weiss narrating all that’s happened to them since they were separated. This tells the audience that a) the girls reuniting will not be a focal point of the Volume’s conflict and b) the journey is highlighted by its comedy rather than its hardships. We learn that Ruby has befriended a talking mouse, Weiss and Blake dealt with killer vines (and were rescued by an army of more talking mice, so presumably Ruby finds them?), and Yang had her arm stolen by a purple raccoon carrying a wagon full of trash.

Do I really need to point out how misguided the tone is here?

Let’s recap: the group just fought their oldest enemy to the ‘death’ and lost, horrifically. Ruby watched her sister fall into a void and Blake had an actual reaction to that presumed demise. Weiss knows that Penny is Really Dead, having been there when Jaune killed her, and last any of them saw Cinder was waltzing off with two of the relics. They may not know that their portals opened into the hostile desert, but the questions of, “Did we succeed? Are the people safe? Where is Salem now? Where is Jaune? Did he make it?” should be haunting them. I literally don’t care if each girl gets a mini-moment of thinking Sad Thoughts pre-reunion---insert Weiss’ wet eyes here

---because the stakes of the story are now so high they simply can’t go back to that lighthearted ‘Look at all these wacky hi-jinks🤪’ tone. These four girls know they just destroyed a kingdom, they know Salem is out there taking out more of Remnant, they know they’re lost in a strange and hostile world, one of them knows a friend was just killed by a teammate... and the best we can do is a deadpan, “Yes. That.” when they come back together?

The problem doesn’t solely lie in the girls’ comedic attitudes, but in the writers deciding that the follow-up to Volume 8 should be comedic situations. Imagine if post-Volume 3 the girls immediately had some Wacky Adventures following their school’s destruction, Penny’s death, Yang’s lost arm. Imagine how badly that would have come across... and know that we are getting that kind of contrast six Volumes later.

All this aside, the situations themselves look far from engaging to me. Unless there’s some magic at work, you’re telling me Weiss and Blake can’t break away from some vines, even without their weapons? The girls who frequently put craters in the earth with their aura? The teammate who can create a copy of herself to get out of a (literal) bind? And no, we don’t know the whole context, but this isn’t presented as a high stakes situation... which, again, is the point. We’re supposed to laugh at these quirky problems, not grapple with the avalanche of emotions Volume 8 introduced and now seems inclined to ignore.

Don’t even get me started on Yang having her arm stolen. I’ll head off any push-back by saying that no, the problem is not in having her lose the arm, or even having someone else take it. I’ve been saying for years that RWBY should have taken a FMA approach (or, you know, followed their own in-world rules when they introduced Maria’s eyes as being in need of frequent repair) and introduced the obstacle of Yang’s arm breaking down in the middle of fights, reacting badly to the cold, in need of specific parts she can no longer get once she makes an enemy of Atlas’ general, etc. Other characters can also display ableism as a form of commentary, so having someone else take Yang’s arm---especially a non-human somebody that has presumably never seen a person before and is ignorant of their needs---could be really compelling. All that’s okay.

The problem is we’re treating this as a joke.

The takeaway is not that Yang losing her arm is a deeply uncomfortable experience for her that highlights her struggles as a disabled person and may well have put her in legitimate danger, considering she doesn’t know how to fight one-handed. The takeaway is ‘Lol her arm was taken by a raccoon! A purple raccoon! And put with the trash! Everyone laugh at the idea of someone’s assistive device getting stolen and discarded like that! You know what makes for a cool flash-back gag? Having Yang play tug-of-war with her arm. That’ll get the audience laughing after the horrors of Volume 8!’

In another show I’d be more forgiving and say only that they need to make use of sensitivity readers. But after Volume 8 turned our most physically disabled character into the villain, killed off the android after making her human without her consent, and plain forgot about the blind fighter? I’m not feeling charitable towards stolen arm jokes.

The fact that the raccoon looks like an auctioneer type with the ‘trash’ being things he’s collected to sell may add another layer to this mess.

After Weiss’ voice-over we learn that the girls are trying to reach the tree because they think it may help them get home. This is what I mean about the trailer being badly constructed because that’s all we know about the central quest. It’s staggeringly simple and the journey there is riddled with just a few scenes (and numerous side characters we’ll leave behind) getting broken up into small, re-arranged chunks to make it look like more content than it actually is. We have Blake dealing with the killer vines---trapped, reaching for her weapon, pushing through them at the start---which is something we know happens very early in the volume, likely the first half of the first episode:

Yang standing atop that bridge and perhaps coming across Neo in the mountains:

Ruby finding the pile of leaves, with the creature emerging later in the trailer:

And we see the majority of the encounter with this queen-like character. Ruby is playing fantasy chess with her teammates as the pieces, they battle, get thrown off the board, and then the queen is defeated. As I’ve done below, we can rearrange the quick shots to see the structure of many interactions, all of it spliced up to fill the trailer with a ‘variety’ of content.

Given that I just watched the show + given the obvious Alice allusions, I’m tempted to compare all this to Alice in Borderland’s trailer, a text which actually hints at a lot of the conflict while giving very little away, actively encouraging the viewer to come back after they’ve watched the show because many shots mislead you... but I don’t have time for that tonight lol. The point is: others do it better.

Moving on, we see this version of the Cheshire cat who hurts my eyes, continuing the misguided tone, is introduced to us via a butt joke. I mean seriously, imagine something like this back in Volume 3 and early Volume 4. Picture Qrow coming in to talk to Ruby about her rare silver eyes and the destruction of her school... and leading with some fart pun. It’s so juvenile and while there’s nothing wrong with juvenile on its own, following what we got in Volume 8? It simply doesn’t mesh.

This cat---who can apparently move pieces of himself independently---says,“You do not go to the tree, the tree goes to you, unless of course you’re me… you see” and an unamused shot of Blake and Yang shows that no, they don’t see and they probably don’t care. Really, I haven’t been a fan of the girls’ attitude for several Volumes now, but I’m with them on this one. I wouldn’t be in the mood for riddles after everything they’ve been through either.

Beyond the tree and a few stretched out interactions, the trailer gives us only a bit of internal struggle by having a woman (that knight?) proclaim, “You were never the hero” and asking Ruby if she wouldn’t like to shed her identity like an old coat. Now, on the surface I really like this. From the shot of Ruby facing her old self

to the implication that this Wonderland might capture people by offering them the chance to shed their previous lives---has Jaune fallen victim to this after killing Penny?---it’s a compelling setup to finally, finally give Ruby some emotional growth. And it could be great! The only reason I hesitate to applaud it early is because such setups usually herald the revelation that the protagonist is the hero. Rarely do we end on the idea that they could become a hero if they put significant effort in moving forward (again, Alice in Borderland...) and never, to my knowledge, does the story say, ‘Yeah you DO suck and that’s where we’re leaving things.’ 99.9% of the time a ‘Am I a hero?’ question is answered with an emphatic ‘YES!’ by teammates, friends, family, saved victims, the narrative itself bestowing a power or a relic or anything else that only the Chosen One can wield. Coupled with the fact that it’s likely our antagonist delivering these lines, there’s very little chance that Ruby is going to come out of this experience with the drive to radically change her behavior. Because this trope AND the show’s history is firmly on the side of proving the heroes’ doubts wrong. This Volume will likely work as a reassurance. Like Yang confronting Ren out in the snow, Volume 9 will tell us that Ruby did the right thing, actually, and don’t you feel sorry for her, doubting herself needlessly like that?

I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m not invested in a story that’s going to push that perspective even harder than it has in the past, not when the heroes HAVE made horrendous mistakes and the show continually wants us to ignore that.

What else? Much of the dialogue feels stilted to me, particularly Weiss’ “Let’s try to be more logical, shall we?” There’s no mention of Volume 8’s tragedy except for 1. them trying to get home and 2. a brief shot of Penny, again making me worry that grappling with the biggest defeat of the series is going to take a backseat to Wonderland’s silly, distracting nonsense. I question why Blake thinks they’re in a fairy tale when nothing seen here reflects the in-world stories Remnant has, so are we going to end up with another Volume that simply tells the audience how we should be interpreting things, rather than doing the work to show us? The animators have clearly put a LOT of work into the backgrounds, but I’m personally just not jiving with their look. I can’t even articulate yet why I dislike many of them... the color palettes feel off, there’s this odd mix of chaos and order like they couldn’t decide which to go with... I like the thematic implication of the girls not fitting the art style of the world anymore, but actually watching that give me a headache. My preferences aside, no one is going to be watching this Volume unless they pay Crunchyroll for the access, or wait a whole year. If that was RT’s attempt to nudge more people into paying, they’ve failed spectacularly. Anyone not already eager to get First access to RWBY (which, of course, isn’t First anymore) isn’t going to shell out another subscription when faced with such a wait time. They’re just going to pirate it, the exact thing RT is begging fans not to do. That, or they’ll drop RWBY entirely.

Honestly, I’m struggling to name things I like about this trailer--and this situation in general. I admit freely that in a show with less drama going on, I’d likely be more forgiving of the nitpicks and optimistic about the ambiguous stuff, but here everything the Volume 9 trailer has given us feels like it’s reinforcing the franchise’s problems. They don’t have a coherent story to tell. They don’t know what tone they’re going for. They’re not stable and outright admit that, pleading with fans to keep them afloat. All of this is arriving years late as more horrific stories about the employees’ treatment continues to surface. RWBY needed a stellar trailer to capture the imagination of everyone who’s not a devoted, with-you-until-the-very-end-no-matter-what-you-produce fan and, frankly, I think they failed to deliver.

The last thing I want to say about our trailer is that it perfectly highlights RT’s tendency to repeat tropes from more popular media without understanding why those writing choices worked in the first place. Alice in Wonderland is not a ridiculous, nonsensical acid trip meant to show how ~crazy~ the world is. It’s a commentary on what it’s like to be a little girl navigating an adult world. Everything Alice goes through is an exaggerated, metaphorically-laden version of real life: here’s a rule, here’s a different rule, these two rules contradict, someone’s mad at you, you don’t know why, you’re trying, it’s not good enough, here’s a new rule, it still doesn’t make sense, you want to cry, you want to scream, you want to go home to your cat, your body is so small in this massive world and then it’s suddenly it’s too big and then you’re small again and your tears will surely drown you and through it all the adults are telling you to do better and you don’t know how.

Take, for example, Alice and the Cheshire Cat:

“Please would you tell me,” said Alice, a little timidly, for she was not quite sure whether it was good manners for her to speak first, “why your cat grins like that?”

“It’s a Cheshire cat,” said the Duchess, “and that’s why. Pig!”

She said the last word with such sudden violence that Alice quite jumped; but she saw in another moment that it was addressed to the baby, and not to her, so she took courage, and went on again:—

“I didn’t know that Cheshire cats always grinned; in fact, I didn’t know that cats could grin.”

“They all can,” said the Duchess; “and most of ’em do.”

“I don’t know of any that do,” Alice said very politely, feeling quite pleased to have got into a conversation.

“You don’t know much,” said the Duchess; “and that’s a fact.”

Alice did not at all like the tone of this remark, and thought it would be as well to introduce some other subject of conversation.

Alice is timid because she’s speaking to an Important Adult and she knows how easy it is to mess that up. Is she even allowed to speak first? She has a good, genuine question, but is dismissed with an indifferent “they all can” and the non-explanation of “and that’s why.” She’s startled by the sudden violence, scared, and then relieved when it’s not directed at her, though it easily could have been. Through it all Alice stays polite and is thrilled that she’s managing a real conversation... until suddenly a cold tone and an insult tears her down and she tries again to navigate an ever-changing, confusing, intimidating world. Alice in Wonderland is not nonsense for the sake of nonsense. It’s a commentary on how we treat our children.

What is RWBY commenting on?

#rwde #rwby #rwby spoilers #mymetas

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meganwhalenturner · 3 years ago

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A Defence of Rubbish

Peter Dickinson

“The danger of living in a golden age of children’s literature is that not enough rubbish is being produced.”

“Nobody who has not spent a whole sunny afternoon under his bed rereading a pile of comics left over from the previous holidays has any real idea of the meaning of intellectual freedom.”

“Nobody who has not written comic strips can really understand the phrase, economy of words. It’s like trying to write Paradise Lost in haiku.”

* * *

The above remarks, and a few more like them, have now haunted me for five years. They were part of a digression in a talk I gave to the 1970 Exeter conference on children’s literature, and if I’d realised then what a powder-keg I was throwing my fag-end of thought into I would have kept my trap shut. I’ve no wish to be type-cast as the man who likes rubbish. On the other hand I did (and do) believe what I said then, and what follows is a more serious attempt to formulate my ideas.

I have always believed that children ought to be allowed to read a certain amount of rubbish. Sometimes quite a high proportion of their reading matter can healthfully consist of things that no sane adult would actually encourage them to read. But I had not, until people started asking me what I really meant, attempted to defend my position or to think it out in any detail.

Definition: by rubbish I mean all forms of reading matter which contain to the adult eye no visible value, either aesthetic or educational.

First, I believe that it is very important that a child, or anybody for that matter, should have a whole culture—at least one whole culture—at her fingertips. We make no objection now to those adults who spent their youth going two or three times a week to the cinema regardless of the merit of the films shown. They have the whole of the Golden Age of the flicks at their fingertips down to the last most trivial B film and it has immensely enriched their lives and their outlook in a way which a diet which consisted solely of plums could not possibly do. Nowadays one can say the same about the pop song culture. There is good stuff on the discs, mixed in with an enormous amount of trash, but both of these are necessary to a child who is taking a serious interest in pop. The child may not realise that the interest is serious but when she grows up she will then find, with luck, that it has been and that she is the better for it. As one teacher expressed it to me at the conference, it is vital that children should have ‘all that stuff churning around in there’, and he rubbed his belly.

Second it is also especially important that a child should belong, and feel that he belongs, to the group of children among whom he finds himself and he should feel that he shares in their culture. Inevitably the group interest will be mostly rubbish. For instance, my son at the moment reads two football comics a week. I love comics, but by the standard of comics these are not much cop. Even so I do not discourage him because this gives him that essential sense of belonging to a group. To remove these comics or to attempt to discourage their reading in any way would be a socially divisive move. A child should feel that he is an individual; but he must not, if possible, feel that he is somehow set apart, especially by family taboos which are not shared by the families of the group to which he belongs. Obviously one can carry this point too far, but in the case of things like football comics I am sure that laissez-faire is the only sensible attitude.

Third I am convinced of the importance of children discovering things for themselves. However tactfully an adult may push them towards discoveries in literature, these do not have quite the treasure trove value of the books picked up wholly by accident. This can only be done by random sampling on the part of the children, and it is inevitable that a high proportion of what they read will be rubbish, by any standard. But in the process they will learn the art of comparison and subconsciously acquire critical standards, so that in the world they are discovering—even the world of football comics—they will begin to work out why one strip is ‘better’ than another and seems more fascinating and is more eagerly looked forward to than another. They may even argue about this with their friends and so make the beginning of an effort at rationalising their appreciation or dislike of cultural objects.

Fourth comes a psychological point. Children have a very varying need of security, but almost all children feel the need of security and reassurance some time. For instance, in those families where boys are sent away to boarding school it is often very noticeable that, in the first week of the holidays, the boys do not read just the books they read last holidays, but books off their younger brothers’ bookshelves. One can often tell how happy or insecure a child is feeling simply by what she is reading. And sometimes she may need to reread something well known but which makes absolutely no intellectual or emotional demand. Rubbish has this negative virtue, and I would be very chary of interfering with a child who felt an obvious need of rubbish.

My fifth point is more nebulous. There is no proof, or even arguing about it. But I am fairly sure in my own mind that a diet of plums is bad for you, and that any rational reading system needs to include a considerable amount of pap or roughage—call it what you will. I know very few adults who do not have some secret cultural vice, and they are all the better for it. I would instantly suspect an adult all of whose cultural activities were high, remote and perfect.

Sixth, it may not be rubbish after all. The adult eye is not necessarily a perfect instrument for discerning certain sorts of values. Elements—and this particularly applies to science fiction—may be so obviously rubbishy that one is tempted to dismiss the whole product as rubbish. But among those elements there may be something new and strange to which one is not accustomed, and which one may not be able to assimilate oneself, as an adult, because of the sheer awfulness of the rest of the stuff; but the innocence—I suppose there is no other word—of the child’s eye can take or leave in a way that I feel an adult cannot, and can acquire valuable stimuli from things which appear otherwise overgrown with a mass of weeds and nonsense.

I am not of course advocating a total lack of censorship. I have no doubt in my own mind that there are certain sorts of reading which are deleterious, and from which a child should be discouraged. Rubbish does not have this quality. It has absolutely no quality. It is neutral.

Nor am I advocating that children should be encouraged to read rubbish. None of the ones I know need much encouragement. All I am asking is that they should not be discouraged from reading it.

The question remains of the children whose diet appears to consist solely of rubbish. Obviously, as far as possible, they should be slightly weaned. But not totally weaned. And besides, if they did not have this diet they would not be reading at all, and in a verbal culture I think it is better that the child should read something than read nothing. And perhaps, long after the child is out of the hands of parents or teacher, the habit of reading—even the habit of reading rubbish—may somehow evoke a tendency to read things which are not rubbish. I know two or three of my contemporaries who were, by cultural standards, total philistines in their boyhood, but they used to read a considerable amount of rubbish and have now, from the habit of reading, become considerably more literate than I.

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corvus--rex · 2 years ago

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Before I start/post anything else, I've decided to make a master list of all my ao3 fics in chronological order from the very first fic I posted. I am Klance trash, so that's all you'll find here. Note that some of them are a/b/o, those will be marked. None of these have been beta'd, so be warned

This got long, so as much as I don't want to...

Our Life in Pictures

60k, rated mature, ongoing, modern au, omegaverse, alpha Keith, omega Lance

A collection of scenes following the relationship between Keith, a tattoo artist, and Lance, the dancer who caught his attention from the dance school across the street.

☆

All I Need

25k, rated mature, modern with magic au, this one's been discontinued, but I do still like the setting so...

Five years after a traumatic event that resulted in Keith losing everything and everyone and the self-destructive spiral that followed, he accepts a job transfer to the big city. He’s in recovery and more stable than he’s been in years, but his past still haunts him. When he accidentally rescues an odd man and his cat one night, Keith finds out that not only is the guy a witch, but that so is he. Keith knows nothing of his origins, having been in the foster care system all his life. Together, they begin to unravel his true past, but at what cost?

Trigger Warning: First chapter deals heavily in trauma, self-harm, and substance abuse, off-screen character death, and fire.

☆

Incanto

3k, rated teen, modern au, inspired by Mediaeval Baebes, this has been placed in a medically-induced hiatus

Keith and Lance had a major falling out just before graduating college over their career directions. Keith wanted to leave home to teach in another state, Lance wanted him to stay with Incanto, the six-member choir they'd started in high school. A year after graduation, and Keith is back home. He's rejoining Incanto and his friends. And maybe he might be able to finally admit how he really feels about his best friend.

☆

Dormiveglia, that precious space

18.8k, rated teen, ongoing, canonverse, not canon compliant, omegaverse, alpha Keith, omega Lance, set just after s2e8 The Blade of Marmora

Dormiveglia - the space between sleeping and waking

Lance hated being an omega. He'd always hated his secondary sex status. It followed him everywhere, up to and including the Garrison. Now he was in space, and it had followed him there as well. It seemed that Alteans, Galra, and most other races also had the alpha-omega traits and that it wasn't limited to humans. And so, Lance's omega status had followed him into space, and there was nothing he could do about it. It also didn't help that he'd fallen hard for a certain alpha.

He didn't know that that certain alpha was falling for him too.

Or that he may never live to see those feelings realized.

☆

Here Come the Vultures

7.9k, rated teen, ongoing, band au, omegaverse, alpha Lance, omega Keith

Castle of Lions was a hugely successful European-styled metal band. The only problem was the part where Keith Kogane, the band's vocalist, was an omega. It was a necessary secret, given how society viewed male omegas, and one that the band and their label swore to keep. But just how long can it stay a secret?

☆

The Sound of Color

4.5k, rated teen, ongoing, soulmate au, omegaverse, alpha Lance, omega Keith

Lance is a 21-year-old college student and Alpha, working hard on a music degree. He has a circle of friends he loves and who love him, the only problem is that they've all found their soulmates and he hasn't. Most people have found theirs by then, and he's worried he never will. But an end-of-semester party may change that.

☆

Play Date

280 words, rated general, post-canon, one of only 2 that aren't explicitly klance, this one's actually zezor, but the klance can always be assumed

Based off this Tumblr prompt: Zethrid attempts to surprise Ezor with something special

☆

Someone to Talk to

596 words, rated general, canonverse, not canon compliant, just Pidge and Shiro

Based on this Tumblr prompt: One of the paladins has a queer crisis. Shiro to the rescue.

Or, Pidge has something to say and turns to Shiro for support.

☆

The Summer of the Moving Vans

651 words, rated general, modern au, childhood friends-to-lovers

Based on this Tumblr prompt: Childhood!AU Keith and Lance are next door neighbors - until a moving van shows up one day.

Lance and Keith were best friends. The summer after second grade proved eventful with a stream of moving vans all vacation. Looking back on it ten years later, they talk about just how life changing it was.

☆

Paladins on Ice

708 words, rated general, canonverse, not canon compliant, team shenanigans

Based on this Tumblr prompt: When Allura finally gets the door to the training deck unlocked, she’s surprised to find that it’s been temporarily repurposed into an ice rink, and that someone is a talented ice skater…

The Paladins are up to something, Allura wants to know what it is, and when she finds out, she learns that one of them has an unexpected talent.

☆

Why is it Always you?

2.5k, rated general, college au, coming out, title's bc something something every universe, something something every reality

Based on this Tumblr prompt: When Lance has some internal questions about his orientation, Keith surprises him by being there to offer support.

A snowstorm shuts down Lance’s college, and he finds his thoughts drifting to one of his oldest friends and feelings he can’t make sense of.

☆

Julance Prompts 2021

33k, rated teen-explicit, various aus, some are omegaverse, alpha Keith, omega Lance, and also alpha Lance, omega Keith

Most of the prompts will be from my own AUs, with the title after the prompt in the list. Rating and tags will be in the top notes of each chapter/one shot, please remember to check them as they will change. Also note, most are abo/omegaverse. The ones that aren't will be tagged as such.

02 - Musician au - Here Come the Vultures 03 - Blue Paladin - Dormiveglia 04 - Allura & Lance - Crystal Venom rewrite 06 - Catboy - mafia/assassin au 07 - AU of choice - Cyberpunk 12 - Fashion - model au 15 - Paranormal/Magic - modern magic au

☆

This is Why I Said Yes

131 words, rated general, post canon, just pure fluff

Post-war married domestic fluff starring Klance!

☆

Klancetober 2021

7.7k, rated teen-mature, various aus, some are omegaverse, alpha Lance, omega Keith

01 - college/coffee/party - How You Like That

02 - supernatural/magic/nighttime - Core Burn

03 - cold/autumn leaves/rain - Autumn

04. festival/pumpkins/haunted house – This is Halloween

☆

Yule Magic

914 words, rated general, magic au

Lance hasn't been back in his home town for very long and promised his best friend Hunk that he'd come by the Golden Lion Bakery soon. He was expecting to see what they'd done after renovating, he wasn't expecting a new member of staff. Yule was a time for magic, and this was no exception.

☆

If I Didn't Know Better

715 words, rated teen, canonverse, not canon compliant

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were about to kiss me."

Keith's frustration with the war spills over into his sparring session with Lance, whose attempt at breaking the tension does not go the way he planned.

☆

Bonfires and Flower Crowns

1.6k, rated general, magic au, sequel to Yule Magic

Two months after first meeting, Lance and Keith are pretty seriously dating, but haven't taken the next step of making their relationship official. Imbolc marks the traditional start of spring. Maybe a change of seasons is nudge they need to make that shift

☆

Player 3 is Waiting to Join

1.6k, rated general, modern au, omegaverse, alpha Lance, omega Keith

Omega Keith is a streamer/youtuber, and he and Lance are getting ready for their first child. This is just a few minutes of fluff during their day, plus a surprise present.

☆

Food & Family

1.2k, rated general, post canon, not canon compliant

"Keith attempts to cook. The results are surprising."

After the war, Keith thinks back to when, at age 12, he found himself alone for the afternoon and decided to take care of his lack of after-school snacks on his own and what happened as a result.

☆

The Bonding Moment™: Part 2

526 words, rated general, canonverse, Keith is a dumbass but we knew that

We all know The Bonding Moment™. We know what happened and how Lance then denied its very existence. But there's the part we didn't get to see. Keith's disaster gay meltdown later on…

☆

The Marmoran's New Clothes

385 words, rated general, canonverse, not canon compliant

"With much hesitation, Kolivan agrees to try dressing in Earth clothes."

Kolivan had resisted the idea of even trying to wear human clothing, but a trip to the mall later, and Lance, Keith, and Krolia are beginning to regret suggesting it.

Unlike the Emperor, this outfit isn’t made of air and wishful thinking. But to the three witnesses to this catastrophe, it might actually have been an improvement.

☆

Listen and You Can Hear the Ocean

2.2k, rated teen, college au sort of, mermaid au

After years of dreaming of the ocean, Keith heads off to university to pursue marine biology. A chance encounter with a familiar stranger shows him a past he'd long forgotten and the future they can forge together.

☆

Red Blood & Blue Violets

8.1k, canonverse, not canon compliant at all, this was an exercise in pain, two endings, one good, one not so much, there's Keith/oc in chapter 3, be advised that I am now attached to this oc and he will be coming back

Based off this Tumblr prompt: "Please don't go"

Keith and Lance had become feared by Galra soldiers across the known universe for their flawless fighting style, the seasoned pair regularly taking down many times their small number alone. Until now. He’d failed. They always had each other’s backs, and he’d failed.

☆

A Different Kind of Sunset Scene

990 words, rated teen, post canon, not canon compliant, it's got they/them trans enby Lance

Based on this Tumblr prompt: “Lance talks Keith into taking a break from work to go for a sunset stroll.”

Keith was supposed to be taking a break. As in, not working 12-18 hours a day. But even away from the field, leading the Blades was a lot of work. He’d sworn – promised, even – that the diplomatic bureaucracy for the day shouldn’t have taken any more than a few hours. But that was what he’d said at breakfast at 8 in the morning. It was nearing sunset, and he’d barely taken a minute away for lunch. Ok, if he wouldn’t do it himself, his loving husband would have to do it for him.

☆

One Last Hunt

4.4k, rated mature, ongoing, college au, with witch Lance and [REDACTED] Keith, and ghosties and other critters

Lance practiced magic. The real stuff, not this new age shit. It's why he got into ghost hunting with Hunk and Pidge. Everything he knew came from books; hopefully meeting ghosts and spirits would teach him something new.

Pidge has a surprise for them for Halloween. Two surprises actually. One is going to the most haunted property in the area on the night in question. The other is that she invited campus cryptid Keith Kogane. Everyone knows who he is, but no one actually knows him. Everything about him is just slightly off in a way that no one can quite put their finger on, and it seems that he knows something about the haunted estate.

Getting closer to Keith on Halloween will definitely be an interesting experience. What does he know that he's not telling? Is he even human? Lance knows it's possible, but not even he's prepared for the truth.

☆

Keith Kogane, Snake Whisperer

1.5k, rated teen, canonverse, not canon compliant, danger noodles are friend-shaped

While on a mission to secure an alliance for the Coalition, Team Voltron find themselves deep inside the cave system below the surface of the planet Vuria. They're there to retrieve an artifact sacred to the Vurians' ancestors. They weren't expecting an encounter with the planet's wildlife. But it's fine, Keith's got it covered.

☆

A Candidate for a Soulmate Bled

1.9k, rated mature, ongoing, soulmate au, musician Keith, bartender Lance, first words soulmarks (sorry Lance)

Lance tried not to look at the words on the inside of his left wrist. Ever since they first showed up on his thirteenth birthday he tried to look at them as little as possible. The first words he would hear from his soulmate, sitting there in their own handwriting in neat, sharp script: slittin’ my throat it’s all I ever Lance has worried about those words for ten years, especially now that his soulmark is beginning to bloom red...

#my writing #ao3 #keith kogane #lance mcclain #keith x lance #klance #vld #voltron #voltron legendary defender #updated with the new one

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mionemymind · 4 years ago

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Chapter 3: The Harsh Treatment

Fake Memories

Series Summary: After Y/n is caught cheating on Wanda with Carol, Y/n would do just about anything to get Wanda back into her life. But was it even Y/n’s fault that she cheated? Or was it the new enemy set on revenge?

Chapter Summary: What will happen to Y/n as the team pushes her past her limits?

A/n: I lied, I decided to be nice and post it now. Honestly, the amount of support that I’m receiving from this fanfic has literally made me smile so much. I really love all of you who read and/or comment. You mean the world to me. Let me know what you think. :) (Not my GIF)

Warnings: Starvation, harmful thoughts, curse words, self-doubt, mentions of blood, injuries, angst

Word Count: 5k

Masterlist

Y/n abruptly woke up at the feeling of pressurized gas coursing through her body. She quickly sat up, unable to see anything in the white fog. The cold feeling only lasted a couple seconds before F.R.I.D.A.Y stated, “Fire has been contained.” Y/n hugged herself for warmth as she waited for the fog to disappear. This was the 13th time this month that she was woken up with pressurized gas. At first, it was foam but someone in maintenance had changed the system after the 5th time she woke up.

Y/n looked at her surroundings and sighed at the damages to her sheets. There were burn marks along with small amounts of frostbite from the gas. “At this rate, I won’t have money for food.” With a grim face, Y/n got up from her bed and proceeded with taking everything off her bed, a routine she unfortunately started to learn.

Y/n didn’t know when things got worse. If she had to guess, maybe it was after the whole fiasco with Wanda. The team had been on edge ever since then. “They probably thought I hurt her,” Y/n thought at the time, but it was far from the truth. She had wanted to explain herself to the team but dismissed those thoughts with, “What’s the point in trying? I’ll always be guilty to them.”

As for Wanda, the still heartbroken girl didn’t dare to speak to the team about that night. Even she didn’t quite know what happened. Since that night, she only lied to herself stating that maybe Y/n had done something. It would probably remove the guilt she had when she thought of the blood running down Y/n’s face. But even the lie couldn’t repress the truth from her thoughts.

After she collected her bedding, she threw it away in the trash can along with the other damaged beddings. Y/n grabbed her wallet off her night stand and opened it. She couldn’t feel it, but her heart dropped at the sight of the lack of money she had. Only a $20 dollar bill as well as a couple ones were left. She closed her eyes and tried her best to keep herself calm, to try and act like the world wasn’t closing in on her. It was a couple minutes later when she opened her eyes and looked at her wallet again. “This was supposed to last me for the rest of the month.” Y/n rubbed her forehead, feeling the overwhelming stress from her lack of funds.

One might ask, “Aren’t you an Avenger? Shouldn’t you make a shit ton of money.” And at one point, Y/n would say yes, she did. But it all came back to that night. A week after, she had overheard a conversation that went…

“I just don’t understand why you’re doing this to her.” Y/n was about to go around the corner, but decided to wait at the sound of Steve’s voice. “It’s simple Rodgers - unless I have to remind you why we needed to redo the glass in the conference room.” Steve sighed at Tony’s simple minded actions. Y/n could practically feel him crossing his arms in a disapproving manner.

“Well she did work fair and hard for her money Tony - this just feels wrong.” Y/n heard a couple clicks before Tony replied with, “This is for Wanda. Anything to get Y/n out of here by her own means is worth it. If you have a problem with this, you must not care as much for Wanda as I thought.” Steve sighed again seeing as he was morally put in an awkward position. It was either care for Y/n or care for Wanda. “That’s what I thought.” Tony left with a smug look on his face as he clicked more on the screen in front of him.

It didn’t take long for Y/n to see the effects of Tony’s decision. Her pay day was the following day and the overwhelming sense of panic and anxiety rose up within her as she only had $400 to survive until the next pay day, which was a month later. Since then, her food portions have been small to say the least. Y/n learned that she only had enough money for the month to eat at least once a day and even that was cutting it. The dramatic changes to her diet had slowly affected her powers but it recently had an exponential increase.

This was her fourth month of hardly eating when her powers started to flare at night. It has gotten to the point that Y/n couldn’t control them in her sleep leading to F.R.I.D.A.Y having to deal with her fireside. But her powers weren’t the only thing that has changed. If anyone were to actually look, they would see that Y/n had gotten skinnier. Her literal glow was getting duller and duller the more time passed.

However, Y/n refused to feel sorry for herself. The sentence “I deserve this” was burned into her head. The brain tricks she puts herself through even allowed her to convince that Tony's decision was right. That Wanda didn’t need to tell the truth to the team. That Steve didn’t need to defend her. And that the team certainly was allowed to make her feel like nothing. Because to Y/n, if she didn’t deserve this, then why would you possibly treat a person like this? Just why?

Of course, Wanda didn’t notice these changes at all. The girl was trying her best to avoid Y/n as much as possible. She always had exit strategies in place in case she were to be in the same vicinity as Y/n. However, Wanda also didn’t notice that lack of Y/n’s presence. Much to her dismay, Y/n’s efforts were the reason they didn’t see each other much.

What Wanda did notice though was the slow and gradual decline of snacks in her cubby. It left her to question whether Natasha was done doing these small favors for her. But her reports were still getting done.

The red head didn’t have much room to think though as she got slammed down on the mat from the other red head. “Take a ten - you’re distracted and we can’t keep going like this.” Wanda grumbled at another failed attempt to flip Natasha over. Hand to hand combat was one of the few subjects that Wanda hated the most. With the help of Natasha, Wanda got up and walked over to the waters on the other side of the room. She was gulping down the remaining when Natasha’s words caught her off guard. “What happened?”

Wanda cocked an eyebrow while still drinking her bottle, needing more elaboration. Natasha faced Wanda while hundreds of thoughts racked her mind. Luckily for her, Wanda had trained her on how to make them quiet enough that Wanda wouldn’t be able to hear. When Natasha found the right words, she said, “I am not doubting you. I am doubting her…” Wanda closed the bottle and looked around the room to avoid Natasha’s eyes. This had been the first time that anyone from the team had remotely even asked her about that night. To be frank, she hadn’t expected Natasha to be the one to break the ice. Usually it was Steve that would act like the team’s counselor. Guess things change.

Wanda sighed and recollected her memory for the night that continued to haunt her. “One minute, I left to get a drink from the bar. - she said that she needed to go to the bathroom. The next minute, I come back to see her all over blondie.” Wanda’s grip on the bottle tightened at the words she was going to say next. “I thought it was a mistake - that she could have been too drunk that night - b-but her thoughts were so - loud.” Wanda slammed her fist at the table in front of her, tears already falling down her cheeks. “A-a-and I saw everything-”

The broken hearted girl didn’t have much energy left in her to continue. She dropped to her knees and sobbed into her hands. Natasha kneeled beside Wanda. She pulled the poor girl into her arms, trying her best to physically comfort her. But nothing could really make Wanda feel better. What could you say to a girl that saw every moment where her girlfriend has cheated on her? Nothing - you say nothing.

“It’s quite pathetic actually,” Tony said as he spun the rod, causing his player to score in foosball. He was currently versing Steve as the two decided to quietly speak about Y/n’s actions for the past couple weeks. Going on the defense again, Steve shot back but Tony was quick to block. “She’s probably just trying to get her money back.” Steve huffed from the sudden slap shot as well as Tony’s rude words.

For the past couple weeks, Y/n had gone from trying to win Wanda back to trying to win the whole team back. The first thing they noticed was all the completed mission reports and the continuation of it. Clint was the first to jokingly comment, “Bruce must really love mission reports.” But the genius bore a confused look before replying with, “It wasn’t me. Even I haven’t had anything to do in my stack for a couple days.” Bruce had a displeasured look on his face. Clint just assumed it was either he wanted to do his stack of reports or the comment was actually true...or maybe both.

When it was time for the meeting, Clint had asked everyone in the room, minus Y/n, on who was completing the mission reports for everyone. “Well, I’m doing Wanda’s and mine,” Natasha claimed as she sat in her usual spot. No one was able to detect her lie, but then again, Natasha was always good at lying.

Clint was quick to figure out that the only person remaining must have been the person responsible. With a straight forward voice, he explained to the team that Y/n had been completing everyones, besides Wanda’s and Natasha’s, reports. Still, Natasha sat there, copying the confused looks on everyone’s faces. She didn’t care to tell them the truth, it wasn’t worth it. However, the meeting proceeded with little comment on Y/n’s actions. She wasn’t worth the mention.

“What if she actually is trying to say sorry to us?” Steve couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty for Y/n, but Tony’s words made the guilt go all away. “Oh - so miss Hydra over here actually wants to apologize - hilarious Steve.” With that, Tony quickly spun the rod and scored the final point, making him win the game. What the two failed to realize was the fact that Y/n had overheard their conversation. She no longer felt hungry for the day and had retreated back to her room, feeling overwhelmingly numb from the confession she heard.

It was a new and different day for Wanda. She had managed to want to try and sit in the common room with her team seeing as sitting in her room no longer gave her the same satisfaction anymore. Scrolling through the tv, she was about to pull up Bewitched when the following words appeared on the screen:

Bewitched is longer provided on Netflix. Please see related tv shows.

“What do you mean it’s no longer available?” Wanda frustratedly questioned. And here she was trying to have a good day. “Sorry kid, I guess Netflix took it off their streaming service,” Clint said as he leaned over the couch. “No why would they do that?!” Wanda said with an exasperated look. Clint simply shrugged, Netflix did have an awful reputation for getting favorites removed or canceled. “No clue, but you could try other shows.” Wanda crossed her arms and huffed at his suggestion. “I was really feeling Bewitched today.” Ruffling her hair, Clint left after saying, “Try to feel for something else.”

However, Wanda had failed to feel anything but angry for the remaining of the day. It wasn’t until she sat in her room for the night, aimlessly finding shows in her room when she noticed Bewitched on her home screen. She quickly clicked on it noticing that all eight seasons are there for her own viewing. Her mood immensely increased for the night as she fell asleep in the middle of season two.

Outside of her room, Y/n had been cleaning up the compound for the night. It was getting harder and harder to clean the kitchen when everything in her wanted to just take a couple of snacks for herself. Her hunger was constantly on her mind as well as the stupid flashes that have sporadically appeared more and more everyday. But she wanted more than anything to prove to the team that she is a good person. Stealing, no matter how minor, was probably the last thing she needed to be labeled as.

When she completed for the night, she returned to her room but paused outside of her door when she heard the Bewitched theme song loudly play in Wanda’s room. A small smile appeared on her face as she walked back into her room and slept on the floor tonight.

“Did it ever occur to you that I love you - like a lot?” The couple were laying in Carol’s room decorated with punk rock posters and pictures of their team. Small plants were placed around the room while Malcolm in the Middle was used as background noise.

“Nah. I haven’t heard you say it in approximately - 10 minutes?” Carol laughed as Y/n glanced at her watch. They laid on their sides as they faced each other, their faces being only inches away. “Well I do.” Carol cupped Y/n’s cheek as she soon grew mesmerized.

There are words to always describe feelings with someone but they all felt overused or incomplete. Because everything felt like this daydream colored borders with warm tones and retro filters as she glanced at Y/n. She felt like she was watching a show that she would never get tired of. Even if the show was in color or black and white, new or old, slow or fast, she would watch just to see her. Just her.

“You do what?” Carol flicked Y/n’s forehead at her response. “Kidding - kidding.” Y/n said as she rubbed her forehead. Carol rolled her eyes and kissed Y/n’s head as she cuddled into her arms, legs tangled within the sheets. “I do love you.” Y/n kissed her hair as she combed it with her hand. “I know,” she whispered, hoping Carol would pick up on the secret reference. Because to Y/n, yeah, she’s worth a whole galaxy.

It was the middle of the night when Steve woke up from a nightmare that shook him from his slumber. Rather than staying in bed to force himself to sleep, he got up and headed to the kitchen for a late night snack.

Heading into the pantry, Steve pursed his lips noticing that Y/n’s cubby had been empty for weeks it seems like. The guilt that was slowly forming inside him kept building and building. Although he knew he could try to do something about it, the loyalty he had to his family - to Wanda. That was something he didn’t want to break.

The relationship with Wanda and Steve was something similar to a father and daughter relationship. Steve had always wanted a kid of his own and Wanda had lost her father. The irony of it all just happened to work for the two. Even though Wanda nor Steve would admit it out loud, they viewed each other as the roles that needed to be filled in their lives. They needed each other regardless of titles.

But then there was Y/n. The troubled girl that made Steve absolutely nervous with how quick her and Wanda seemed to like each other. It absolutely didn’t help Steve’s case when the whole team found out about Y/n’s past. His anxiety had practically skyrocketed. It eventually led to a one on one talk with Wanda about how sometimes we need to protect ourselves before letting people in.

But Y/n was still there. Breaking down Wanda’s walls. So just like any Dad would, Steve watched over. Making sure his girl was always happy and safe. So while Natasha may have refilled Wanda’ cubby and did her reports, Steve had carried Wanda to bed during nights she couldn’t sleep. He made her tea for times that she didn’t want to talk, which was often. He tucked her in at night and cuddled with her when she needed a shoulder to cry on. He was just there.

But so was she. She was there whenever Wanda cried at night. She was there when Wanda would sometimes forget to eat after busying herself all day. She was there to take care of Wanda. She was there when Steve wasn’t. And that meant everything to Steve. So why couldn’t Steve be there for Y/n?

There were a lot of unanswered questions roaming around Steve’s head. Rather than pondering more about them, he walked around the tower, eating a pack of cookies for himself. Just as he was turning the corner, he glanced towards the conference room to see Wanda asleep in front of her reports. However, the more alarming part was the girl that happened to be right in front of Wanda. Steve quickly grew on high alert and observed Y/n’s actions. However, after a couple minutes of harmless actions, Steve forced his shoulders to relax. “She’s just doing reports - calm down,” Steve thought.

But he couldn’t calm down. The guilt had maneuvered it’s way back up to his throat as he actually noticed the pale state of the once bright girl. For someone that had literal fire abilities, she lacked the glow of any raging fire. Feeling nothing but guilt all over, Steve felt compelled to say something - anything. But he froze. He didn’t know what to say.

However, the opportunity soon was lost as Y/n finished everyone’s stack of reports. Steve hid around the corner as Y/n passed him. Hearing a door close was when Steve stepped out of hiding. He glanced towards the direction of Y/n’s room, feeling every need to go to her. But his footsteps led him to Wanda. He picked her up and carried her to her room. Wanda will always be first in Steve’s heart. And nothing could change that.

“We have to stop this treatment Tony.” Steve waltzed into Tony’s lab the very next day. For once, he couldn’t sleep for the remainder of the night. Y/n was all over his mind. The guilt was practically eating him alive.

Tony rolled his eyes at Steve’s dramatic fashion for entrances. “Oh - good morning Tony - how are you - I’m actually pretty good.” Steve rolled his eyes as he stood in front of Tony, a hologram in between the two.

“Cut the crap Tony - I’m being serious.” Steve crossed his arms. This needed to end. “And you think I’m not Rodgers?” Tony was quick to respond, already growing irritated by the conversation.

“This isn’t right - none of this right.” Steve wiped the hologram to finally get a clear view of Tony as he grew frustrated by the second. Tony simply swiped it back, not wanting to deal with the issue. “Well maybe if she just quit - we wouldn’t need to worry about anything. It’s not my fault Fury hired Ms. Hydra - and if he finds out I fired her, he would not allow it at all.”

“But can’t you see that your stupid plan isn’t working? All we’re doing is abusing the girl.” Steve wiped the hologram again but Tony simply walked to a different station and continued his work. Angry with his response, Steve walked around the table and stood beside Tony.

“This needs to end Tony,” Steve said through his gritted teeth. The man was clenching his jaw so hard, it almost looked as if he was going to break his teeth. However, Tony quickly glared at Steve at the mention of his threat.

“Don’t you fucking dare. Can’t you actually see that I’m trying to protect Wanda.” Steve tilted his head at the awful reasoning for his actions. “How is this protecting Wanda? Why are you even trying to protect her?”

Tony slammed his fist into the table, feeling his anger rising by the second. “We - no - I need to protect her Steve!”

“Why Tony? Why?”

“Because I’m the goddamn reason her parents and her country is dead. I’m the reason that everything she ever loved is gone. I’m the reason for her sadness. She, of all people, deserves happiness. And I sure as hell won’t let anyone else hurt her anymore - no more Steve.” Tony didn’t give Steve a chance as he walked out the facility needing a day drink more than ever.

It was lunch time and all Wanda could think about was the need to cook paprikash. She didn’t know when the last time she had actually cooked. And seeing as the majority of the team was on missions, she could actually cook without interruptions or lingering eyes.

Walking into the kitchen, Wanda tied her hair up and started to take out the necessary ingredients for the meal. It was when she was talking the spices out when Vision had appeared out of nowhere, nearly scaring the girl. “Vision!”

Sensing a slight rise in her heart rate and anger, Vision had quickly apologized. “Sorry Wanda.” Wanda shook her head and quickly resumed prepping. “I will try to work on making my presence known. If I may ask, what is it that you’re doing?”

“I’m making paprikash.” Vision’s mind grew curious at the word and quickly searched his database for it. “I see. A traditional Sokovian food.” Wanda didn’t realize it, but she had felt a little annoyed at the synthezoid’s presence. It wasn’t anything he did, but Wanda desperately wanted alone time for herself.

Before she could ask, Vision had said, “Good morning Y/n.” Wanda’s quickly grew wide as she avoided glancing in Y/n’s direction. She hadn’t stayed in the tense position though as Vision announced, “Oh - it seems she had left before saying hi back.”

Feeling ever more frustrated with people’s presence, Wanda was about to ask him to leave but noticed the confusion written all over his face and didn’t hesitate to ask, “What is it Vision?” Vision pursed his lips and contemplated his words. It was visibly obvious to see that he was trying to wrack up what to say. “I think...it’s just…” He sighed knowing that this was going to be a sensitive subject to the witch but knowing everything she's been through, lying was not the best option. “It’s just that Y/n-” Wanda quickly cut Vision off in desperation to know what Y/n had done to Vision. If the girl were to even lay a finger on him, she was sure to deal with it herself. “What did she do? Did she hurt you? I swear-” Seeing her eyes turn red, Vision immediately explained himself. “-No no no. It’s not that, the complete opposite actually.” Wanda’s eyes slowly turned back to normal. When Vision saw that her heart rate was close to normal, he continued. “It’s just that...Y/n’s vitals have been decreasing in a fluctuating matter. Some days it would be a small decrease, but some days it would be a big decrease. Overall, her health has been poor.” Vision looked back at where Y/n once stood. If he hadn’t quickly analyzed her, he wouldn’t have noticed that today’s vitals was record worst. “Although she does have physical injuries, she seems to continue to radiate pain throughout her body even when those injuries have healed. It starts through her head and it spreads like a radio wave through her nervous system. I’ve done my calculations and the leading cause could be migraines...” Vision soon was in deep thought, trying to recalculate just to make sure what he was about to say was correct. “...but it doesn’t make sense.”

Wanda tilted her head. Processing this information was hard seeing as at her darkest moments, she wanted nothing but Y/n to be hurt. She deserved it for all the pain she caused her to go through. But hearing it now? That was a different story. It was like an internal conflict was going through her. Should she even care about Y/n’s health? “What doesn’t make sense?” Vision looked hard into Wanda’s eyes as he said, “Migraines shouldn’t cause her heart to stop multiple times.”

Wanda stared at Vision, processing the information that the love of her life is practically dying. “A-are you sure?” Vision slowly nodded. “However, after some calculations, I do believe she will be okay. She only needs a good source of food for her healing regeneration to fully heal this.” Wanda relaxed at Vision’s words. Although she has been through immense pain through these past couple months, having Y/n gone from her life like that would hurt more than anything.

Before Vision could continue his explanation, F.R.I.D.A.Y stated, “Emergency alert. All available Avengers please head to the quinjet per the request of Mr. Stark and Mr. Rogers.” Quickly, the two headed to the plane as the important part of Vision’s explanation was missed. Little did Wanda know, Y/n would not heal any time soon.

The trio arrived on the quinjet and wasted no time trying to figure out the mission that was ahead of them. There was a serious feel in the atmosphere sensing that this had to be bad. There was no way that it couldn’t have been. Because if it wasn’t, they certainly wouldn’t have invited Y/n to this mission.

Lately, the girl has been assigned to only solo missions. Y/n couldn’t quite remember the last time that she was on a mission with any team member nevermind the fact with the whole team.

“Backup is needed immediately after touch down. Vision and Wanda, meet up with Steve and Sam at the Northeast corridor. Y/n, you are assigned to the entrance,” Tony stated through the intercom.

The feeling in Y/n’s stomach worsened. Not only was she hungry and sleep deprived, she didn’t also have a partner with her. It also didn’t help the fact that the flashes have gotten worse. Y/n couldn’t help but pray for a miracle. After all, they were dealing with the very people Y/n hated - Hydra.

Y/n couldn’t quite tell when things on the mission got to shit. Maybe it was the fact that as soon as they touched down and went to their assigned positions, Y/n received a massive swarm of Hydra agents. It didn’t help that her health regeneration was not at its peak or these agents actually were decently trained. Or was it during the third wave, that was currently happening, where Y/n tested the limits of her body.

Seeing the onslaught of agents coming her way, Y/n decided it was time to test out her new ability. She rapidly swung her right arm, building momentum as the fire within her right side blazed. As soon as the enemies were close, she released a fire tornado in their path. It had managed to take out at least half of the wave, but more and more kept coming.

Pressing her comms, Y/n said, “Can someone send back up my way?! There’s too many for me to handle.” Y/n kicked back the agent that was about to stab her in the back, but was too distracted to the point a different agent was able to cut her leg. “Fuck.”

Y/n quickly released an ice wall that at first glance, appeared to be the same height as the Great Wall of China. She hoped the barrier would give her enough time for her backup to appear. Focusing all her energy on her fireside, Y/n aimed at any agent near her, using her arm as a flamethrower.

However, worry immediately grew when no one had responded to her call within a couple minutes. Before she could request again, Nat had spoken bitterly in the comms, “On my way.” Sighing in relief, Y/n continued to fight off the agents the best she could.

But no matter how hard she tried to buy herself time, it seemed that Natasha was taking forever to come. It had gotten to the point that multiple lashes already appeared. Her healing regeneration couldn’t keep up at all. Not only that, but her body was either giving up from exhaustion or blood loss. It was only during the last couple agents when Natasha had shown up and quickly killed the remainder.

Y/n glanced at the assassin and noticed the lack of any injuries on her and it was as if she barely broke a sweat. “What happened? I almost got killed.”

Natasha glared at Y/n as she responded with, “I helped Bucky and Rhodey on the way, they needed it.” Y/n swallowed the lump in her throat knowing the redhead in front of her had practically lied. If backup was needed, it was always voiced through comms.

Even if Y/n had wanted to confront Natasha about it, she couldn’t. Natasha had already left to head to the quinjet. Y/n simply limped a couple feet from her. When Y/n arrived, it seemed that everyone else was already prepared for take off. Feeling ever more guilty, Y/n simply sat at the closet seat to the entrance that was away from the team. But something inside her broke even more noticing the lack of any questions or concerns from the team in regards to her injuries.

Not even bothering to buckle up, Y/n sulked in her thoughts when she realized, “Why doesn’t anyone care about me?”

Tag List: @halobaby @arelyitsherec8 @blackxwidowsxwife @cristin-rjd @madamevirgo @trikruismybitch @paradiselost916 @mmmmokdok @morbid-gaymer @dailyavengering @itsnottilly @helloalycia @randomshyperson @tomy5girls @daenerys713 @ensorcellme @lezzzbehonesthere @imagine-reblog @sighsam

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #fake memories

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ladyelissarose · 3 years ago

Text

Warnings: mentions of past traumatic events, panic attacks, lots of angst in this one, things just fall apart sometimes.

”The Secrets of Gotham-Unmasked”

Chp.26

Batman’s POV

After hearing the news from Gordon it crushed Batman’s heart to know that they had come to a decision to ‘bury her’ and completely make her dead to the city. With Gordon’s words running through his mind it began to make him think that she was actually dead, that him bringing her back to life was all just a dream in his head,

‘Why does it sound like it’s true.. like if she’s actually dead and not around.. did I save her? Wait.. no my mind is playing tricks on me I know I saved her.. and she’s safe.. yeah, she has to be, but she was so cold, blue, limp in my arms... oh God.’

He had held some hope that there would be a chance to get Maroni’s business down forever, but now there was no way as it seemed. All he wanted to do was go and make sure his haunting thoughts weren’t true, he wanted to crawl into Y/n’s arms and relish in her comfort, he had to remind himself that she wasn’t dead or drowned at the bottom of the river, that night still terrified him sometimes. So once he left the signal he planned to go with Y/n instead of home, the night was almost over anyways, and Y/b/n should be safe at the Manor by now. So he sent Alfred a quick message stating that he’d be at the safe house soon, so that for him to stay with Y/b/n at the Manor through the night.

Alfred’s POV

Upon receiving the message time hit ‘2:37’ as Alfred checked his ticking watch, sighing he contemplated with Saunders,

“I think we have to call it a night.. Bruce just gave me a heads up that he’s coming to check up on her right now-“

“You see that’s the thing I don’t understand Al, why doesn’t he just stay the entire night? What does he do during that time when he’s not here?”

“Don’t ask me... Master Bruce is always doing his own things that I don’t get into.. all I know is his schedule. And she needs to be here before he arrives, and I need to go to the Manor to make sure it’s in tact while he’s gone.”

“Very well Al, let me let this kid know,”

Turning on the mic Saunders called out to Y/n,

“Hey kid it’s time to clock out, it’s almost 3 and your boyfriend will be here soon. Tomorrow you can try again,”

He could hear Y/n sighing frustratedly as she said,

‘This dumbass didn’t even show up.. I wonder why.. everyone else was here. But yeah, I’m definitely coming back tomorrow. Or until he shows up, all the guys there seemed pretty desperate as they awaited his arrival which never came, I think they’re planning something big, but they said they would only talk it through until Mackenzie showed up.’

“Damn it, all those guys usually have something big planned out, who’s knows what’s up with that crackhead, just come home please, take a taxi and get dropped off at least a couple of blocks away remember?”

‘Yeah I remember Uncle, I’m already heading out the door.’

“Good, I’ll see you soon.”

Y/n’s POV

Y/n could feel the wad of cash she was carrying in her bag from the tips she got, but she refused to keep any of the money, so turning the corner of the building she saw a homeless man going through the trash for food,

‘He could use some cash.’

“Sir? Here,take this.”

Looking up at her with fear that she was probably a burglar or something he tried to cower away, but when he saw her gleaming eyes and soft smile with the cash in her hands, he approached her slowly as he heard Y/n explain,

“Get yourself something to eat yeah? Have a good night.”

Without saying a word he took the money and stuffed it in his jacket and sent her a curt nod of appreciation, she smiled at him one more time before calling out of the taxi that was passing by.

Getting into the taxi Y/n made her way home in a few minutes, after tipping the taxi she got off of it and waited for it to leave before she made a beeline to the safe house on her heels.

Alfred’s POV

Alfred was standing by the door waiting for Y/n to come closer, he then opened the door for her and let her in,

“Get in the shower immediately you smell like that place.”

“Right.”

But before she could run he grabbed her wrist,

“Wait but before you go, where did you leave the money you got?”

“I gave it to a homeless person, I didn’t keep any of it.”

‘Oh... that’s better than what I thought.’

Showing his proudness for her good deed Alfred said,

“That’s very good, I’m sure he needed it, listen put everything in its place and put some cream on that back of yours dear, please.”

“I will Alfred, I’m still disappointed that I got nothing-“

Saunders entered the conversation as he put forth,

“Y/n/n it took your father and I a long while to get as close as we got, just take it a day at a time and get used to your surroundings as you go too. You did well

though, I promise. At least you know something is up, now go do what Alfred told you to do,”

“Of course,”

Giving Alfred an embrace she bid him goodbye,

“See you later Alfred, thank you again, Goodnight.”

“Goodnight dear,”

Y/n’s POV

After 20 minutes Y/n heard a door open from the outside of her restroom who’s door was slightly opened, she stood outside of her shower drying off,

‘That must be Bruce.. at least I put everything away first before getting in.. if not that’d be a disaster.’

“baby?”

Hearing Bruce’s soft little voice call out to her made Y/n’s heart swoon,

“I’m in the restroom baby, I’m coming out of the shower-“

Peering his head through the half closed door Bruce pouted,

“I was hoping you’d wait for me.. I didn’t take one-“

‘Aw my sweet baby...’

“Well come in, I haven’t gotten dressed yet, I can shower again with you.”

Opening the door wide to let himself in he closed it and began to undress,

“thanks baby... why aren’t you asleep and showering at 3 anyways?”

“Just couldn’t sleep and felt like taking one, I didn’t think you were coming tonight.”

“I wasn’t but I changed my mind, I wanted to see you.”

Seeing his eyes drop more than usual made Y/n see something that was bothering him, placing his face in her palms she asked him sweetly,

“Are you ok?”

“Hmm hmm.. let’s get in.”

As they led each other into the shower that was when Bruce saw the large bruise on Y/n’s back, he spun her to face him as he questioned with worry,

“Y/n what happened to your back, this looks fresh?”

‘Oh shit.. forgot about that.’

“I fell earlier today on the stairs, and my back landed on the steps, but I’ll be ok-“

“Are you sure, it looks.. bad.”

“I’ll be fine baby, believe me, and I promise to be more careful.”

Y/n batted her eyes at him hoping her story was believable, which it was when he didn’t push it any further,

“Ok... come on.”

Once in Y/n turned the bar up to start letting out the warm water. Bruce wrapped his arms around Y/n while resting his cheek against her temple. Letting the water run over them Y/n began to relax and relished the feeling of his bare wet skin against hers.

Y/n then asked,

“Do you want me to wash your hair now or not yet?”

Bruce moves his head and let his eyes connect with hers as he shook his head no, he kept his gaze on Y/n pretty steadily as if trying to convince himself that she was actually there with him, and soon his baby blues began to water, she could tell as his eyes turned red quickly and his lip quivered,

‘oh no baby don’t cry..’

“oh honey don’t cry, what’s the matter?”

Refusing to talk he pulled her in for a deep harsh kiss, his breathing grew rapid as his hands touched her all over, trying to convince himself even more that she was real under his hands, that she was really warm and not blue and cold, that the water that was covering them was warm and in her home and not the freezing water at the river, that the purpose of his lips on hers weren’t for CPR or to help her back to life but because he was demonstrating his love through a kiss. The sounds he made during the kiss could’ve been mistaken for soft groans but Y/n identified them as crying whimpers that were leaving his lips. Y/n immediately caught on to what was going on, as she heard him grow more desperate trying to catch his breath,

‘he’s having a panic attack!’

Separating herself from him she grabbed his face and made him face her to pay attention,

“Talk to me baby what’s going on?”

Shaking his head no he grabbed her hips and tried to pull her flush against him, as he choked on air trying to compose his haunting thoughts, but she stood her ground and called for him,

“Bruce, baby, breathe, I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere. Ok? Look at me, I’m alive and with you-“

“No, they said you’re dead and gone a-and that they’re having your funeral.”

“Bruce-“

“They’ve made it official with the feds Y-Y/n, you can’t come back-“

“Thats not true and it doesn’t matter-“

“But I watched you die-“

“And you watched me come back to life Bruce... I’m alive, I’m not at the river, we’re not there right now, give me your hands.”

Shaking tremendously Bruce gave his hands to Y/n and she placed them on her bare chest, right over her beating heart.

“Baby, can you feel that?”

“yeah.. yeah I can.”

“Ok... and what does that tell you?”

“t-that.. that you’re ok?”

“yes baby, I’m ok.. I’m ok.”

Bruce’s POV

‘She’s ok.. she’s breathing.. this isn’t a dream it’s real. Y/n’s real, the warm water is real.. just cause she’s dead to the city it doesn’t mean that she’s really dead, she’s safe in my arms.. and alive. Ok Bruce.. it’s ok.. breathe..’

“ok.. I think I’m ok now.. I’m sorry-“

“Bruce never be sorry, that’s what I’m here for, to catch you and remind you that we’re going to be ok, no matter what’s going on outside these walls ok?”

“ok.. thank you.”

Bending down to catch her in a softer kiss Bruce could feel her wrap her arms around his neck as she smiled through the kiss. Breaking the kiss Y/n pecked his nose and began to wash him down completely, from head to toe, whispering sweet nothings in his ear or on every fading bruise she passed by while cleaning him thoroughly.

Y/n’s POV

Sense she had already showered she wasn’t going to do her own, so soon they were wrapped in warm soft towels standing in Y/n’s bedroom as she searched through her drawers to pull out Bruce’s boxers, she was going to give them each jumpers for the night but Bruce protested with his small voice,

“Can we just sleep like this.. l-like- like”

‘He needs sense of touch.’

“Do you want me in just my panties and you in your boxers?”

Shaking his head shyly he signaled yes, his cheeks burned a light pink shade at the thought of how sensitive he was being. For Gods sake he was Vengeance and the freaking Batman, as well as the Prince of Gotham, someone who was unapproachable and insensitive as hell according to outsiders, but here with Y/n, he was melting and dying to be on her skin and feel her warm breath touch his skin, making him feel loved and safe to be just himself, which only she could do that.

Tangling their legs together under the covers Bruce was facing Y/n as they laid on their sides, but putting Bruce in his favorite place, Y/n made sure to rest his head on her bare chest, so that her calm beating heart could lure him to sleep.

He had wrapped his arms tightly around Y/n pulling her impossibly close, but soon as his body drifted to sleep, Y/n could feel his arms loosen slightly, until his body went limp and soft snores began to come out of his pretty lips.

Y/b/n’s POV

He had just gotten out of the shower and walked downstairs when Alfred came into appearance greeting him,

“Jason.”

“You can call me Y/b/n... I mean either is fine.”

“Alright then Y/b/n, how was your first night with Bruce?”

Sitting down at the kitchen table accepting the bowl of fruit Alfred had prepared for him Y/b/n answered,

“It went alright, he asked me to look around within the outskirts of Gotham... he said he’s looking for lost information?”

Alfred adjusted his glasses as he sat there confused,

“What information? Did he tell you specifically?”

“He actually did, he said it’s was something about our father, for the case he was working on. But we came out dry we couldn’t find anything anywhere.”

“Hm... maybe in the morning I’ll speak with him and help you two out.”

“Sounds productive, thanks.”

“Of course,”

Alfred’s POV

After finishing his fruit Alfred and Y/b/n walked together up the stairs into their rooms, but that’s when Y/b/n noticed the opened door leading to a room that looked different, it caught his attention.

“Um, Alfred?”

“Yes Y/b/n.”

Pointing to the room as he walked to it he asked,

“You all have guests? Or did I miss something?”

‘Oh that’s Danny’s room.. oh should I tell him-‘

“Looks like a kids room.. what is this Alfred?”

Turning to look at him directly Alfred said honestly,

“Bruce and Y/n are planning to adopt Danny.”

Alfred watched Y/b/n’s jaw drop with a hint of hurt in his eyes, lowering his gaze to the floor Y/b/n said,

“You all were just going to replace me huh?”

‘Oh no, never.’

Placing his hand on Y/b/n’s shoulder Alfred corrected,

“Y/b/n we could never replace you-“

“Then why are you guys planning on bringing Danny in? Was it because you thought I died and needed to fill the gap?”

“No Y/b/n, your sister saw that Danny needed a home, and she knew he would stay with her, only because he knew her the most, they’ve had a connection sense the beginning-“

“Danny already had a home at the shelter, she didn’t need to bring him in.”

“It’s called mercy Y/b/n.”

Looking up at Alfred as he dropped his hand off his shoulder Y/b/n said coldly,

“I knew I was right, I could never be accepted again, for the new me-“

“Y/b/n stop-“

“No Alfred! She wants to adopt him because it reminds her of innocence, happiness, a new, fresh beginning, if I ever come back into the picture it will only bring back bad memories and pain, because that’s all I ever caused. I can’t be here if you’re planning on keeping him-“

Alfred stood firmly as he spoke,

“Y/b/n you are more than welcome to stay, we promised we could help you-“

“I don’t want your help, I’m a lost cause and it’s clear to me that you all have moved on, or are working to move on, when I still can’t. I’m still stuck in the daze of wanting to kill the people that have hurt me-“

By this point rage grew in Y/b/n’s eyes as he began to step closer to Alfred huffing his anger out through his words as he continued,

“They broke me more than anything in this world, they took away my life and who I was. Beating me and drilling into my head that I was nothing and a whole other person, a monster-“

Alfred had begun to take small steps back as Y/b/n got closer and closer,

“Alfred I don’t fit here. I’ve tried to, you know be different, change a little, but its all too soon, I’m not finished yet. I’m not a hero or a anything like that, I’m a murderer, I’m broken and lost, all I crave to do is ruin the lives of every single person that ruined mine. Trying to become better isn’t going to change anything, what’s happened happened, and there’s no going back. I know you love me and want to help me, but I don’t need your help, because I don’t deserve it-“

Finally coming face to face with him Alfred could see the forming tears of anger in Y/b/n’s eyes as he lastly said,

“Goodbye Alfred.”

He took off his watch and comms and began to walk down the stairs, Alfred ran to the top of the stairs attempting to go after him, but Y/b/n stopped him as he was midway down,

“Don’t Alfred.. it’s over. I only wouldn’t be hurting Y/n or you and Bruce more, but it’d hurt Danny to know that I’m alive and what I’ve become, I can’t let him see me like this. He looked up to me because he saw that I was good, and I’m not good anymore.”

And with that Y/b/n left through the front door with the promise of never returning. Leaving Alfred at the verge of tears. Alfred thought Y/b/n would be happy, thinking maybe it would help him out with composing himself again, but instead he took it the wrong way.

‘Now what are we going to do... he’s gone, and might go back to his old ways.. we never replaced him.. we just wanted the family to grow, we wanted to give Danny a home. When is this all going to be better.. will it ever get better?’

RedHood’s POV

Walking away from the Manor RedHood put on his mask as anger and sadness raged and boiled his blood, he slightly felt bad for Alfred, he knew that Alfred had good intentions, but his mind and heart went against his sister once again,

‘Of course she would replace me...she can’t lie to me. I’ll never be her son again, or ‘their’ son, why ‘their’ son though? Is Bruce marrying her? That doesn’t matter anymore, all I know is that I really fucking hate myself.. I just wish it was all gone or that it had never happened, but they are really going to see what kind of person they made out of me.. who’s the real Jason Todd, the RedHood..just watch.’

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raymondebidochonlifechoices · 4 years ago

Text

To summarise:

Balls be balls, but there’s a crucial difference between a writer that has cojones and a show that is bollocks.

Apparently, Glen forgot to notify the FBI that Betty quit. Betty receives her diploma via post. Which is fitting, because I can only surmise that this is how she got her training too.

Now that there are no more serial killers in The Town Formerly Known As Riverdale, the F.B.I. decides to reopen their bureau there. It figures.

Riverdale’s Feminist Icon Veronica Lodge once again fails to pass the Bechdel test.

Since not one (Archie) but two (Jughead) white male protagonists have come to terms with their trauma on-screen, Betty pulls herself together off-screen.

Or does she? She joins Archie for some day drinking. Alcohol is, objectively, the only way b*rchie can happen.

Veronica is no longer the She-Wolf but the Black Widow of Wall Street. One would have thought that this kind of level-up in ruthlessness would be in her favour but not according to these writers.

Waldo is still on a mission to be a principal in a High School that offers only extra-curriculars: he re-hires Jughead to supervise the Blue and Gold.

Since no one is teaching at RHS anymore, Britta decides to break some rocks in Cheryl’s mines to keep in shape for football next season.

To show her appreciation, Cheryl drags Britta to her ex-teacher’s graduation party where all her other ex-teachers are. Awkward.

Frank and Alice being the only older adults left in Riverdale, hook up. After 5x18 uncle Frank is what Alice deserves.

On their first date at Vitto Alto’s old haunt, Jabitha decide to move in together to save up on rent. The level of romance is killing me.

This is the third time Archie’s new dog makes an appearance. Where’s Hot Dog, bitch?

With Veronica and Eric out of Archie’s life, Hiram tries to rekindle the embers of their relationship. Literally.

On his orders, a Ghoulie starts a fire at Pop’s. The damages are minimal but somehow the effects are devastating.

Sheriff Keller, who was once the mayor’s lapdog, who -in turn- was once in Hiram’s pocket, sits and nods sagely as Toni threatens bodily harm to a suspect and Archie proposes an arrest without evidence. Consistency.

Guidance counselor Toni extracts a Ghoulie’s tooth and with it the truth. Never trust a therapist in Riverdale.

Reggie ex Machina provides a usb stick with irrefutable proof of Hiram’s crimes. Unfortunately, he’s a secondary character, so there’s not enough time to explain how he got it.

Lollipop! Lollipop! Oh Lolli Lolli Lolli! Lollipop! The Chordettes are not back but The Trash Bag Killer is! After having graciously waited for Betty to catch her other serial killer, he’s now ready to rumble. Oh, yes, congratulations for her graduation too. This better be Hal Cooper with half a metallic head or else.

Adult Jughead is the same awkward teenager we all know and love. Boy can’t initiate a normal kiss to save his life. Not without social activism and arson beforehand. He’s weird. He’s a weirdo.

Queen Serpent Toni has an epiphany: what if they take the Serpents off the roads and back into Riverdale and find them a gig that pays just as well as truck driving? 10 bucks says that job is bouncers for Veggie’s new Casino.

Tangs aka Only Serpents Left Alive. Can you really blame Jughead for making fun of them in his book?

“I blame Archie” says Hiram. And my new T-Shirt.

Kevin takes his remaining kidney to Broadway.

This is Nana Rose’s season, gather around children.

Abigail Blossom, Cheryl’s ancestor (but not the one that slaughtered the Uktenas) was burned to the stake for witchcraft in 1890 because the townspeople wanted to steal her palladium mines. Abigail cursed them all.

I’m here for Jedediah Jones and Jedediah Jones only.

Cheryl doesn’t think that a curse that eradicated a whole generation of male Riverdale citizens is enough compensation and asks the core four to make amends to her personally. Veronica, Archie, Betty and Jughead, who have not spent the last 10 years with Jason’s corpse can’t fathom why they should live in the past.

Pop pops back in Riverdale but Tabitha’s parents don’t. Is it possible that the only reason for their existence was so that she could sing with Jughead in 5x18?

After unilaterally naming Riverdale’s four council members, Archie makes a talk about inclusiveness. All 10 paid extras agree.

Nana Rose heard that Veggie are together and has Cheryl speak the curse.

A Casino would turn Riverdale into a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah, exclaims Acid Queen Alice, miffed that she wasn’t once invited to teenage Veronica’s speakeasy.

Archie has been sexless for one day, so he proposes to Betty to give their relationship another go.

H is for Hero. “Tic Tic Boom!” says Hiram, who has placed a bomb underneath Archie’s bed. Legends only.

Toffee is back in Riverdale. She’s freed all the dogs from Archie’s yard and has set headquarters in Dilton’s bunker. From there She. Will. Lead. The Resistance!

No more nonsense, only curses now!

This exquisite Toffee header (or is it footer?) is brought to you by the incomparable @50shades-of-bughead, who was also kind enough to draw Toffee Leading The Resistance aka Barracks!Toffee. I’m in awe of your talent! Do you hear the people sing?

#Riverdale season 5 #s5 recaps #Toffee fanart #decy_fanarts

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 3 years ago

Photo

Ivan Ehlers, The New Yorker: Meanwhile, in Judge Cannon's Courtroom

[Scott Horton]

* * * *

Judge Cannon did everyone a favor. :: September 7, 2022

Robert B. Hubbell

In one respect, Judge Aileen Cannon did everyone a favor in her decision to appoint a special master to review the Mar-a-Lago search. She wrote an opinion so awful and bereft of legal reasoning that commentators on all sides of the political spectrum are panning the opinion as an abomination. Indeed, they are falling over themselves to find adjectives, comparisons, and metaphors that adequately describe the havoc of her decision. Here is a fair sampling:

Her decision is utterly lawless [and] she disgraced her position as an Article III judge. [Laurence Tribe @tribelaw.]

[H]er order in this case is nonsense. [Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse]

[A] trainwreck of judicial reasoning. [Ian Millhiser, Vox]

[L]awless partisan hackery. [Dahlia Lithwick, Mark Joseph Stern, Slate]

[U]ntethered to the law. [Andrew Weissman, The Atlantic]

[A] political conclusion in search of a legal rationale. [Jessica Levinson, MSNBC]

[D]eeply problematic. [Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., a Harvard Law School]

[L]aughably bad. [Samuel W. Buell, a Duke University law professor]

And then there is Bill Barr, a man who destroyed his legacy to support Trump. Here is what Bill Barr told Trump’s supporters during an appearance on Fox News:

The opinion, I think, was wrong, and I think the government should appeal it. It’s deeply flawed in a number of ways.

[T]he government has very strong evidence of what it really needs to determine whether charges are appropriate . . . there’s some evidence to suggest that they were deceived.

[N]one of [the government’s case] really relates to the content of documents. It relates to the fact that there were documents [at Mar-a-Lago] and the fact that they were classified and the fact that they were subpoenaed and never delivered.

My point is not to trash Judge Cannon’s integrity, intelligence, or fairness. She has already done so beyond my meager ability to add to the opprobrium already heaped upon her. Rather, the point is that Judge Cannon now understands she is universally regarded as the most incompetent, biased, and clueless federal district judge in the nation—and that is saying something!

How Judge Cannon responds to that stomach-churning realization is what matters. Will Judge Cannon attempt to undo her grotesque error by revising her order? Will she reject efforts by Trump’s team to exploit the legal gruel disguised as analysis in her opinion? Or will she redouble her efforts to serve as Trump’s surrogate defense counsel from her position on the bench in the Southern District of Florida?

The next few days will provide much more information about Judge Cannon’s intentions. I infer (read: speculate) that she is in legal waters way above her head and tried to kludge a remedy unsupported by the law. The result is a Frankenstein’s monster that will haunt her for the remainder of her career. Her decision is already being cited as “The Loose Cannon Rule,” under which criminal defendants can seek a stay of federal criminal proceedings whenever evidence is seized under a search warrant.

The DOJ has many paths forward, most of which are legally complicated and equally unsatisfactory. But as Bill Barr also noted in his comments to Fox News, the decision is more like a “rain delay.” One of the most likely steps is for Merrick Garland to proceed with the special master process and appeal the order staying the investigation—which is a constitutional insult of the highest order.

In her order, Judge Cannon has told the Article II branch of the government that it may not perform the duties granted to it by the Constitution. As Neal Katyal noted yesterday on MSNBC, none of his first-year law students at Georgetown would suggest such an outlandish and unsupported violation of separation of powers. Although the University of Michigan Law School is not the guarantor of the future performance of its graduates, the faculty at the U.Mich.Law should be revising their syllabi to add a few extra sessions on separation of powers—not to mention a deep dive into US v. Nixon. And judicial ethics. And legal research. And common sense.

In the end, Judge Cannon’s decision is so bad it cannot stand. The DOJ will find a way to circumvent the worst parts of her ruling. Trump stole classified documents, concealed them, lied about it, and refused to return them after being served with a grand jury subpoena. He is in deep trouble. If past is prologue, Trump will make his predicament worse by uttering new lies and issuing new admissions.

#Scott Horton #The Federalist Society #Ivan Ehlers #The New Yorker #Judge Cannon #justice #Rule of Law #Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter

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maddiwrites · 4 years ago

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The Hybrid (I)

Pairing: JJ x Reader

Summary: The Pogues rekindle their friendship with their old childhood best friend and JJ’s first crush, Y/N. Old feelings resurface for JJ and Y/N, possibly leading to a summer neither one of them could ever forget. Due to past trauma, Y/N is reluctant to let anyone into her heart, but JJ never backs down from a challenge, even if he knows it will come back to haunt him in the end.

Note: Thank you for being patient with me as I slowly write this series. I had this idea a long time ago and I’m not finding motivation to write it but the inspiration comes and go. I smile with every comment that is left on my fics and I’m so grateful for this community. Thank you for letting me pursue my creative writing without judgement. Love you guys! (Also, yes. If you didn’t see my last note, I based YN’s family off of the Gilmore Girls characters. That’s who I picture as them.)

Word Count: 8k

Masterlist Prologue

You wake up to someone falling on your bed next to you with a dramatic sigh. Knowing exactly who it is, you choose to ignore her and try getting back to the dreamless sleep you were peacefully having before you woke up.

That is, until she sighs again.

You flip onto your back and stare up at your ceiling fan that’s quickly spinning above you. “What, Rory?”

“How did it go with Andre and that boy?”

You look at her with one brow raised. “You woke me up to hear about Andre’s love life? That hardly sounds like you. You don’t care about high school drama or hookups.”

“You’re right,” Rory says. “But I thought I would ease you into what I actually need to tell you.”

You turn on right side and look at your sister confused. “What?”

She sighs. “The cafe’s basement flooded last night. Mom needs us there to help her clean up and take inventory on what’s salvageable.”

You turn back on you backside and close your eyes, exhaling a deep sigh. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Unfortunately not,” Rory says and pats you twice on your covered thigh as she sits up. “Come on. I made you pre-cafe coffee. It’s sitting in the kitchen.”

You throw your sheets off of you and trudge to the bathroom to brush your teeth and clean your face. It’s about 8 a.m. At least you were able to get about six hours of sleep.

Last night, it was hard to let your brain rest to fall asleep. You kept tossing and turning, thinking about the blonde Pogue who walked you home. You missed how easy it was to talk to someone who you felt truly knew you. Your banter rolled off your tongue easily and you never had to worry about offending him because you knew him like the back of your hand. You knew what he could take and what he couldn't.

Talking to him brought back childhood memories you had hidden deep in your mind. How JJ would constantly poke you until you ripped into a smile on days that were grey. How you used to steal John B’s bandanas until he was chasing you around his house to get them back. How you would draw a mustache and a unibrow on Pope’s face when he fell asleep by the water.

Those days felt like they were decades ago. So far away, you didn’t know if you’d be able to reach for them again. If it was even possible to get back.

You thought about texting him. Thanks for walking me back. We should all get together soon! You had written out. But then you deleted the whole message, telling yourself it was because you didn’t know if he even had the same number. But deep down, you were just afraid of the rejection.

Its been about three years since the four of you had been together in one place. You don’t know what they’ve been through or if they’ve changed. They for sure as hell don’t know what you’ve been through. You don’t know if they're dynamic has changed. Clearly you and JJ can still joke with each other but what about John B and Pope? You heard about John B’s father disappearing at sea, most people believing he’s dead, but John B holding onto hope that’s he’s alive. You always thought about calling him to reach out and offer your condolences. But for the same reason you didn’t text JJ, you never called. It didn’t feel like your place. They had Kie for that now. A little part of you felt jealous of her, like she had replaced you and any memory of you. She seemed nice, but she wasn’t you.

“Ready?” Rory pops her head in to your room as you slip on a cropped plain white zip up jacket over your cropped black tank.

“As I’ll ever be,” You say and snag the car keys out of her hands. “Don’t even think about it. I’m driving.”

Rory rolls her eyes. “I want to get there safely.”

“And I want to get there quickly.”

“Fine. But we’re taking my car. It actually has doors.”

For your sixteenth birthday, your grandparents gifted both you and Rory your own individual cars and even let you pick them out. Rory chose a black 2020 Honda Civic for it’s safety features and reputation for longevity as if she was planning on handing it down to her future kids. And you picked out a white 2020 Jeep Wrangler with a hard top that pops off along with the doors for a very open and thrilling ride. Everyone but you called it a death trap, but you found it to be the perfect summer car.

You park Rory’s boring Honda Civic in the back of the cafe in a lot used specifically for employees. The cafe is already booming with teens and families, waiting for their morning coffees and fresh pastries. Kids your age are running around behind the counter with sweat dripping down their brow bone to get everyone’s orders out in a timely manner.

In the back of the store, your mom walks up the steps from the basement with two large trash bags and immediately notices the two of you. “Oh good. You’re here. Rory, help the girls behind the counter. The dishwasher’s broken and poor Hailey is hand washing everything. Y/N, come with me downstairs.”

“Why does Rory get the fun job?” You grumble and follow your mom back downstairs after she tosses the two trash bags.

“Because she’s actually nice to the customers.”

“Treat others how you would like to be treated. Isn’t that what everyone always says?” You smirk. You never agreed with the phrase ‘the customer is always right.’ It’s complete bullshit and being the employee shouldn’t mean letting yourself getting verbally abused by a ‘Karen’ on the other side of the counter.

The basement is used for the cafe’s storage, lined with wooden shelves Steve put together that hold to go cups, back up espresso machines, boxes of coffee and food and ingredients, etc. Now all the boxes are dark and sopping, creating puddles on the concrete floor.

“Oh my god. Mom. How did this happen?”

“Jenky water pipe busted in the middle of the night,” Steve walks down the stairs and passes your mom a knowing look. It didn’t surprise you that he was here. He’s the jack of all trades. Owns his own automotive shop, builds a lot of his own furniture, actually cooks a decent meal, and has the same outlook on customer service as you do. He was probably your mom’s first call. “Talked to the plumber. They can’t get here until at least noon.”

“Noon? We’ll be underwater by noon. I might as well turn all my employees into a swim team,” Your mom says.

Steve shakes his head. “I was able to hold the leak until he gets here. You should be fine.”

Steve was the first person that actually helped your mother out when's she moved to the Cut. Six months pregnant, she pushed her car into his automotive shop after it broke down on the side of the road. Their banter was similar to the one you and JJ have. He helped save your mom money by building yours and Rory’s cribs, changing table, and dressers. And ever since, the two of them had been connected by the hip, although they both refuse to admit it. You think the pair are just trying to deny the love they clearly share for each other. And you think the main reason for that is because of the incident four years ago with your mom’s ex boyfriend. No thanks to you.

“Look at you constantly building your resume,” You smirk at him.

Steve scoffs. “It’s more than what you’re doing.”

You roll your eyes. Steve is the closest thing you have to a father. He practically helped raise you with your mom. He’s the one you turn to whenever a fight with your mom goes too far, which isn't too often but it happens. He usually lets you stay at his house for the night to let you cool off. But he’ll never sugar coat his advice when it comes time for him to give it. Even if you don’t ask for it. He knows growing up with Rory has been challenging. She was clearly your mom’s favorite, or at least that’s what you thought. She has a 4.0 GPA with a realistic dream to get into Brown University and study journalism. She played by every rule, never got into trouble, and spent most of her free nights getting ahead of her school work or staying late at the cafe with an open book from the library across the street. She was an absolute angel to everyone else, making you look like her evil twin.

You glare at him before turning to your mom with crossed arms. “What do you want me to do, Mom?”

“Actually honey. Can you go to Heywards and grab more coffee filters and napkins. The water soaked right through the plastic wrapping on our last box.”

You nod, leaving your mom and Steve to clean up the basement themselves. Before heading out, you sneak behind the counter and make yourself a quick coffee to go.

“Where you going?” Rory asks as she reaches behind you to grab a banana for her customer at the register.

“Heywards to grab a couple things for Mom.”

“Oh. Make sure to grab toilet paper while you’re out. I think we’re almost out of it.”

“Got it.”

Heywards is only a short drive from your mom’s cafe. It’s the closest convenient store that isn’t crazy pricey. It’s where your mom gets all her supplies whenever she runs out of things before shipment gets there.

You use to always come here when you were younger with the boys, each of you, even Pope, stealing a small bag of chips or a candy bar here and there. Little did any of you know, Mr. Heyward caught your thieving hands every time but never said anything.

The bell above the door chimes when you walk into the store. You know this place as well as you know the cafe, finding the toilet paper and coffee filter immediately.��

When Mr. Heyward looks up from the counter, his smile grows. He can pick you out of a crowd anywhere, but he hasn’t seen you in a long time. Last time he saw you, you had braces and overgrown bushy brows. Now you had bushed hair and shaved legs.

“Hi. Mr. Heyward,” You grin shyly at him. You don’t know how he’s going to react to see you, unsure of what Pope might have told him about you.

“Little Miss Y/L/N? Is that you?” Heyward smiles widely, pulling your own lips into a wider smile. “I haven’t seen you for a long time.”

“Yeah, I’ve been busy with school and my mom’s cafe...” Both of those things were a lie. You just avoid the Cut to avoid the Pogues.

“How’s the fam?”

“They’re good,” You say as Heyward hands you your bags. “Mom says hello by the way. I’m actually taking these to her store now.”

“Well, don’t be a stranger. We miss your smiling face around her. Anette, too.” Heyward says, mentioning his wife.

“Tell her I said hi.”

“Of course, darling.”

Heyward and Anette always had a special place in their heart for you and Rory. They’re not one for gossip, but they knew a little bit about what your mom’s been through and have heard plenty of stories about your grandparents. They always thought, despite your mom’s background, that you and your sister were raised impressively. Anette always hoped that one day Pope and Rory would get together. Everyone always wanted their child to be with Rory.

As your about to leave the store, the bell chimes again with another customer. Only it’s not another customer. It’s Pope and John B. They don’t see you at first, and you wonder if maybe you can sneak out without them seeing you. But something about that felt wrong. Especially because Heyward would more than likely mention to them that you were here.

Pope sees you first and stops in his tracks. “Y/N?”

“Hey, guys. Long time no see,” You smile at both of them. You bite down on your lip awkwardly when you meet John B’s stare. You don’t know if you should mention anything about his dad’s disappearance. But what would you say? Sorry? What good would that do?

“How’ve you been?” Pope gives you a small side hug, then John B.

You shrug. “You know, living the dream.”

“How’s life as a Hybrid?” John B smirks.

You roll your eyes playfully and groan. “Oh god. Never call me that again.”

You may be considered a Hybrid by everyone else, but you would never put yourself into that category. You grew up a Pogue, the same way everyone else did around you. The only thing tying you to the Kooks are your grandparents.

“Why?” John B smirks. “I wish I was a Hybrid.”

You smirk back. “Maybe you will be one day. I hear you have a Kook of your own for arm candy.”

You saw a faint hint of blush on John B’s cheek at the mention of his girlfriend but you don’t mention it. “Sarah, yeah. She’s not like the other Kooks.”

“I would hope not. Her brother’s a dick.”

“Yeah,” They laugh.

“We miss you, you know.” John B says. Pope looks at you, trying to read your expression. John B’s not wrong. They do all miss you, especially Pope. He felt like you were the only one who really understood him. Of course his other friends are great, but you actually took the time to try and understand his passions. Like forensic science.

“I miss you guys too. It’s been a while.”

“Well, hey. We’re actually all getting together tonight at my place. Nothing big. Just a bonfire and a couple beers. You should stop by,” John B says.

“Yeah,” Pope says, immediately getting hopeful that you’ll show up.

Your smile falters. The invite makes your heart swell and your lungs contract. It’s an invite you’ve been wanting for three years. And now that you have it, you don’t know what to say. It’d be different if it was just the four of you like old times. But now there’s Kie and Sarah and although you have nothing against them, you’re afraid they won’t accept you. The thought of your boys picking them over you terrifies you.

“Okay. Yeah, sure. I’ll try to swing by later.”

Pope smiles wide and looks at his friend to see his reaction. John B grins and nods, almost impressed that you had agreed. But he saw the twitch in your lips when the question was asked.

“Great. I guess we’ll see you later then.”

You nod. “Okay. Bye guys.”

You suck in a deep breath when the fresh air outside of Heyward’s store brushes over you. Your heart thumps wildly with both excitement and nerves when you’re finally able to collect your thoughts. You don’t know what you’ll do tonight, but the possibilities can change your entire summer.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You spent the rest of the day mopping up the cafe’s basement and rearranging the shelves. You smelled of sweat and coffee grounds by the time you were done and dreamt of the shower you would be taking when you got home.

Rory drove you home after the two of you closed up the cafe for the day. Neither of you said much. Rory was exhausted from running around behind the counter and you were too busy thinking about whether you’d go back to the place you used to call your second home.

You took a longer shower than usual, still pondering what your night would be like. Your head was telling you to stay home but your heart pulled you in the direction of the Cut. You yearned to hear about what the future held for Pope, and listen to John B retell stories of when you were kids, and be able to stare into JJ’s bright blue eyes without him noticing.

You changed into a pair of jean shorts and a plain red cropped tank. Rory walks into your room as your brushing out your hair and looks at you as if you lost your mind.

“Are you out of your mind? You can’t wear that,” She says.

You brows scrunch together in confusion. “What are you talking about? I wear shit like this all the time.”

“Not to the Country Club, you don’t.” That’s when it hits you. Today’s been so hectic, you forgot what day it was. “It’s Sunday.”

Sunday dinner at the Country Club is now a weekly commitment forced upon you by your grandparents. Each week, your mom, sister, and you are forced to spend one dinner with your grandma and grandpa. This is basically your mom’s payment back for sending you and Rory to Kook Academy. Only they actually pay for the dinner. It’s usually the longest two hours of your entire week. It’s hard to listen to your grandfather rant about Real Estate and your grandma slyly critique your mother in almost every aspect of her life.

“Shit. I completely forgot,” You say.

“Well, you better change. We’re leaving in about five minutes,” Rory says then plucks a gold necklace from your dresser. “Oh and can I wear this tonight?”

You sigh. “Sure.”

You change into a baby blue wrap around dress and pin your wet hair into a half up half down due. It’s gonna have to work for the limited time you have to get ready. After applying a thin layer of makeup to look the least bit presentable, you meet your mom and sister by the front door.

“Finally,” Your mom says when she sees you.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize it was Sunday.”

“It’s okay, honey. I just don’t think I can handle another late remark from Mom today.” She looks you up and down and grins. “You look great.”

Despite the many fiery fights you and your mom can have, she is also your best friend. It’s kind of like a love hate relationship. Steve says it’s because you’re exactly like your mom - almost like a sixteen year old version of her.

You really hope that isn’t true. You’re not ready to have a kid in two years.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Your grandparents are already sitting at a round table in the corner of the country club by the two tall windows that reach up to the ceiling with a view looking out into the golf course. The best seat in the house for the richest a holes on the island.

“Lorelai,” Your grandmother grins, but you can instantly tell it’s sarcastic. “Did you have to walk here?”

You speak up before your mom could. “Sorry Grandma. It’s my fault we’re late.”

Your grandparents are hard on your mom but easier on you and Rory, especially Rory.

“Well, you’re here now,” Your grandpa says. He’s usually the mediator between your mom and grandma. Although he’s usually sucks at it. “Sit. Sit.”

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, JJ shuffles through his many coworkers with his apron in one hand and a piece of fried calamari from Miss Carol’s appetizer in the other.

“JJ -” She scolds and slaps his hand away from going in for a second piece.

“Good evening Miss Carol,” JJ smirks and makes his way to the area between the kitchen and dining room where most of the servers and bust boys hang out. Some of the boys slap him on the back or shove him by the shoulder, chuckling to themselves. “What’s going on boys? Busy crowd?”

“What are you doing here? You never work Sundays,” His friend, Mitch, says.

Luke Maybank was behind on several bills - worse than it’s ever been. They already shut off their electricity and JJ wanted to make sure the water wouldn’t be next.

But JJ shrugs nonchalantly. “Little extra dough can't hurt.”

“Well, you picked a good day,” Raymond walks up to the blonde, rolling his sleeves. “You got Kook Royalty and their Hybrid offsprings in your section.”

“What?” JJ looks through the small square Plexiglas on the swinging door. He knows exactly where to look and immediately sees you sitting with King and Queen Kook, looking absolutely miserable, pushing around your food with your fork.

“Damn, Maybank. Almost broke your neck - you turned so fast.”

“Shut up, Easterling. I was just seeing how crowded we were,” JJ lied. He really just wanted to see if you were here. And now that he sees you are, he’s a little nervous to do his own damn job.

Raymond Easterling chuckles. “Yeah, I know what you were looking at. But don’t get your hopes up. There’s a reason Kooks call that girl the Heart Sucker. Not even the high and powerful JJ Maybank could get a piece of that.”

The guys around JJ and Raymond chuckle and nod in agreement, hearing the stories of how you’d reject every single guy that’s ever asked you out. Sometimes you’d go on a few dates, trying to push yourself out of your comfort zone, but then things would quickly become too much, and you’d get overwhelmed.

JJ didn’t like the way Raymond talked about you or how the others laughed at your expense. His hands clenched into fists, tempted to throw a punch in Ray’s cocky face. The guy’s just being a jerk because he’s one of the guys that got rejected by you, he thought.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” JJ shakes his head and ties his apron around his waist to distract his hands.

“No?” Raymond challenges him. “You think I’m wrong? You think you could pull the infamous Hybrid over there?”

JJ glances back through the window. You’re looking at your grandma with a clearly forced grin. You’re twirling your hair between your fingers, a habit you picked up when you were little to do when you’re bored. JJ would find you doing that in school all the time.

You’re gorgeous, he thought. It’s no wonder that almost every guy on this island has tried to make a pass on you, including JJ himself, but his remarks always come off as playful, afraid of actually telling you how he feels about you. His fantasies about you went further than just getting you between the sheets. He could picture getting married, having children, and growing old together. Years ago, the two of you would talk about your future. Neither one of you cared about money or fancy jobs. All you wanted was to be free - of this island, of each other’s families, of responsibilities placed on you from birth. You hold the same values as JJ, and he’s never met another person like you.

But JJ has a hard exterior. No one other than his best friends know his true heart, and he wasn’t going to let someone like Raymond Easterling find out about his soft spot for you. He would never hear the end of it.

JJ looks at you one last time. You’re talking to Rory, your face in his direction. This time you’re smiling, probably discussing something other than your grandparent’s expectations of you. He’d kill to see that smile every single day.

What’s the worst that could happen? You reject him? Yeah, that might kill JJ inside, but maybe you’d still be his friend, or continue to be acquaintances like you are now. As long as he gets to see you, he’d be okay. There was always the future. But who knows? Maybe you’d say yes? He’ll never know unless he tries. Right?

JJ fakes the same cocky grin that Raymond wears. “I haven’t failed yet.”

The guys around him whistle and shake their heads with smiles.

“All right, Maybank. Let’s make a bet. I’ll give you one hundred dollars to get Y/N Y/L/N in the sack by the fourth of July.”

JJ scoffs. “You like giving away free money?” He ignored his racing heart at the thought of being that intimate with you.

Raymond nods. “Okay. Let’s put your money where your mouth is. Get her to say ‘I love you’ by the end of the season and I’ll raise you an extra hundred and cover all your dishwasher shifts in September.”

JJ raises his brows with surprise. No one offers to take the dishwashing shift. Sometimes the boys are pulled back there when the kitchen is short staffed and it’s easily one of the worst jobs at the Club.

This bet was almost too good of an opportunity to pass up. “Deal.” JJ says.

The boys shake hands on it and the other guys whisper to each other about how intrigued they are to see this play out.

JJ wipes his sweaty palms against his apron and pushes the door open to approach your table, hoping he can hear you over his thudding heart.

“Good evening folks. May I take those empty plates out of your way?”

You look up at the voice you know so well and a smile raises on your lips. JJ meets your eyes and he winks at you, splattering your heart in flutters.

“Please.” Your grandmother pushes her plate away from her, stuffed with filet and red wine.

“JJ,” Your mom grins up at him. Growing up, your mom always had a soft spot for the blonde Pogue. She’s heard the stories about his father, mostly from Steve, who actually grew up with Luke Maybank, his cousin. As a child, he was sent to live with Luke Maybank and his single father. Lets just say, he’s not surprised by the way Luke turned out. “Look at you. You’re all grown up now. Last time I saw you, Y/N was still pushing your head in the sand for stealing her popsicle.”

“Yeah. I quickly learned no one should mess with Y/N and her food,” JJ says.

“Never stopped you though,” You smirk at him.

“Lorelai. Who is this?” Your grandma asks, disregarding the boy himself.

“Mom,” Lorelai gives her mom a warning look. “This is JJ Maybank. He went to school with Y/N and Rory.” Lorelai knew to play it safe with her wording. She didn’t know where you and JJ stood. It’s been so long since you’ve seen him and she knew better than to ask.

“Nice to meet you,” JJ says politely. “I’d shake your hand but mine are kinda full.” He motions to the plates in his hand.

“That’s quite all right.” Your grandma’s smile is so forced, it makes you uncomfortable.

“I won’t hold you up. Has your server been around with the dessert menu?” JJ looks at you. “We have chocolate cake tonight.”

Heat rushes up your neck. Not because of the cake itself but because JJ remembered your favorite dessert. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles. It was safe to save you were a choco-holic. The boys use to make it for you every year for your birthday. It usually came out burnt, none of them ever remembering how to properly make it. But it was all you needed to feel like a very special girl.

“Your favorite,” Rory elbows you.

Your grandma cringes. “Sounds like diabetes on a plate.”

“Mom,” Lorelai scolds.

“What?” She asks, not understanding the concept of a filter.

Now heat rushes to your cheeks for an entire different reason. “He did. We’re not doing dessert tonight. Thank you, though.”

JJ nods but feels disappointed by the way your face flinched at your grandmother’s comment.

“My pleasure,” He says like he was taught to do and excuses himself to drop the plates off in the back before he can say anything else that would probably get him fired.

Your mom looks at your with raised brows. “He’s cute, honey.”

“Lorelai, please. He’s the busboy,” Your grandma says.

“He’s a good kid, Mom.”

“If you’ll excuse me,” You stand up. “I have to use the restroom.”

Rory gives you a knowing grin as you walk away from the table. When you walk into the hallway between the dining area and the front lobby, you immediately feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Sometimes just the presence of your grandparents and their pompous judgements can be suffocating. You do your best to bite your tongue around them, excusing yourself when you feel yourself getting heated.

JJ catches a glimpse of your light blue dress out of the corner of his eye when he rounds the corner to collect the plates off a different table. He looks over his shoulder at Raymond, who’s staring at the blonde watching you, and winks.

“Hey, Y/N,” JJ says, walking up to you.

You look up from your phone and immediately smile. “Hey. I was actually hoping I’d catch you out here.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” You nervously tuck a piece of hair behind your ear. “I’m sorry about my grandmother. She can be...”

JJ shakes his head. “Hey. It’s okay. I work for Kooks almost every single day. I’m use to it.”

You sigh. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“Don’t apologize for something you can’t control,” JJ says. “Besides, that’s probably the nicest she’s ever been to me.”

You hide your face in your hands. “Stop. You’re making it worse.”

JJ laughs and takes your wrists in his hands, slowly pulling them away from your face. Your eyes shoot up to his, immediately feeling a tingling feeling run through your skin, straight to your heart.

“It’s okay. I promise,” He says softly. His voice is so sincere that you have no other option but to believe him. It almost makes your feel guiltier, wondering how much bullshit he’s been through with ungrateful Kooks that it’s so easy for him to forgive and forget.

“Okay,” Your voice is a whisper, taken off guard by how close he is to you and how he still hasn't let go of your hands.

In that same moment, JJ realizes he’s still holding you and gently removes his hands. He coughs awkwardly and scratches the back of his neck, where sweat begins to bubble. Why is he so nervous?

“So um...” You say, suddenly feeling nervous too. “You going to John B’s tonight?”

JJ’s eyes shoot up in surprise. How did you know that? “Yeah. I’m heading over there after work.”

“I saw him and Pope at Heywards earlier today and they invited me over. I wasn’t sure if I should come or not.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

Because it’s different now, you wanted to say. But you didn’t because you feel like the elephant in the room would only grow. And you didn’t want to admit you were nervous to meet Kie and Sarah outside of school.

You shrug. “I don’t know.”

“You should definitely come. The boys miss you.”

You pretend like a little piece of your heart didn’t just break when JJ didn’t say ‘we.’

“What time do you get off of work?”

“Around 9ish.”

You nod. “I can pick you up if you’d like and we could go together?”

Your heart races after you suggest it. What if he says no? Why were you feeling this way? This is the same kid you use to make fun of for pouring milk into his bowl before his cereal.

“Yeah. That’d be perfect.”

“Great!” Your phone pings with a text from Rory, telling you that your grandparents are wondering where you are. “Shit. I have to get back. I’ll see you at nine?”

“See you then,” JJ nods and turns back to the kitchen. When his eyes meet Raymond’s, he’s reminded of what he agreed to. Almost surprised how quickly he forgot about it. You were able to take his mind off of anything without even trying. He clears his throat to get rid of the giddy grin he was wearing after talking to you, wanting to look tough and casual in front of his coworker. “Easy.” He says to him. But that felt anything but easy. He could vomit with nerves.

“There’s still plenty of time for you to screw up, Maybank.”

JJ huffs. He’s not wrong.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You drive up to the front of the country club and park in front of the main entrance. It’s 8:57. You’re early and will look eager. So you wait until 9:06 to text him that you’re here.

You changed into a pair of dark washed denim shorts, a yellow cropped tube top, a grey flannel, and navy converse. You changed your outfit about four times before deciding on your first one, not wanting to look too casual or too dressed up.

For the last three years, you wondered when the four of you would get back together as a group. You wondered if it would ever happen. And now that two Kooks are involved, you feel more nervous than excited.

You jump when the passenger seat door opens, lost in the depth of your own head. JJ smiles, not seeing your reaction.”Cool ride,” he says and looks around the interior.

“Thanks,” you say, pulling out into the road.

“I got you something,” JJ says.

You glance at him with furrowed brows. What could he have possibly gotten you since you saw him last? A book mark from the Country Club’s gift shop?

JJ reaches into his backpack and pulls out a plate with clear wrap around it. Your mouth drops when you see the chocolate cake on a plate in his hands, the smell immediately hitting your nose with pure delight.

“You saved me a piece?” You jump in your seat excitedly.

“Had to hide it good too or else Miss Carol would have had my ass handed to me,” JJ jokes and even pulls out two forks. He undoes the wrapping and cuts off a piece. He waits until you hit a stop sign and says, “Open up.”

You look at him and immediately open your mouth. He gently places the fork between your lips and you take the piece of cake off with your teeth. Like a baby.

Your eyes close with pure pleasure. “Oh my god. That’s amazing.”

“Miss Carol does know how to bake a mean cake,” JJ says and takes a bite of his own.

“Another one,” You say, glancing at the cake again. Like you said, choco-holic. “Please.” You say when JJ teases you by holding the fork away from you.

JJ laughs. “I like hearing you beg.”

You slap him in the arm with the back of your hand. “In your dreams, Maybank.”

“You got that right, Y/L/N.”

The two of you finish the cake with only a few bites each. Small but rich in chocolate that leaves you craving more. You were gonna have to meet this Miss Carol woman.

After he puts the plate back in his bag, JJ reaches for the aux cord, but you quickly slap his hand away. “Hey. What do you think you’re doing?”

“You’re seriously gonna make me listen to this the entire way to John B’s?”

You scoff. “I’ll have you know Blink-182 is one of my favorite bands.”

“It’s also soccer moms’ favorite band,” JJ laughs at you.

You turn up the volume, blasting ‘All the Small Things’ and point to your ear. “Sorry. Can’t hear you!”

JJ rolls his eyes but laughs along with you, even bopping his head to the beat. You drive with the windows down, dancing and singing along to a bunch of throwback songs with JJ as if the two of you have been doing this forever.

You pull up to John B’s and park behind his dad’s old van, better known as The Twinkie. When you turn down the music, JJ looks at you with a shake in his head. “Next time, I’m driving.”

“What was wrong with my driving?”

“We’re in the Outer Banks, Sparky, not NASCAR.”

You scoff and follow behind JJ who’s leading the way up John B’s driveway. As you get closer, you smell the smoky scent of a bonfire nearby and eventually hear John B’s laugh mixed in with a female’s. Your smile falters as nerves gather in the pit of your stomach.

“What’s wrong?” JJ asks.

“Nothing,” You say, but JJ easily catches your lie and gives you a knowing look. “What if they don’t like me?”

“Who? Pope and John B? I’m pretty sure they like you more than me even after three years -”

“Not them, you idiot,” You shove him playfully by the shoulder as you two let yourselves inside. “Sarah and Kie.”

“Don’t you go to school with them?”

“Yeah, but we don’t talk,” You say quietly, not wanting them to hear you.

“Hm.”

“What?” JJ shrugs. “Nothing. I just didn’t think you cared about what other people thought.”

“I don’t,” You say quickly. “But they're your best friends. It’s different.”

“You don’t need their approval. You technically were here first.”

“Yeah, but I’ve been replaced,” You try to say it as a joke and even throw a smirk in there.

But JJ stops in his track and looks at you seriously. “No one can replace you. Not even if they tried.”

You open your mouth to respond, but you’re at a loss for words. It’s not a common occurrence that JJ gets all serious on you. Warmth covers you like a blanket and the longer he holds your stare, the weaker your knees become.

“JJ! Is that you?” John B calls out from the backyard.

“Yeah,” JJ yells back. He opens the fridge in John B’s kitchen. “Want a beer?” He offers to you.

You shake your head. “No thanks.”

For the first time, you take in John B’s home. It looks the same as it did three years ago, only a lot messier. The pull out couch looks like its been used recently with blankets and sheets tossed about on it. Empty beer cans and cigarette butts are thrown messily on the coffee tables and the air smells faintly of old marijuana.

JJ leads you out to the back where four people are gathered around a fire. Three out of the four immediately smile when the two of you approach them, but Kie’s eyes narrow and her head tilts with confusion.

Shit, you think.

“You came!” Pope laughs and hops up from his beach chair and embraces you in a hug.

You laugh, not expecting the embrace, but welcoming it all the same. John B’s next, giving you a quick hug and shaking his head.

“I gotta say, I didn’t think you were going to come,” John B says.

“You can thank me for that later,” JJ says jokingly.

“Actually when I heard JJ was coming, I almost changed my mind and stayed home,” You joke and smirk JJ’s way.

“Just like old times,” Pope says, looking between you and the blonde. The banter felt like the yall never separated in the first place.

“Hey, you know Sarah and Kie, right?” John B points to the girls. Sarah stands up to say hi, and eventually Kie follows her, not wanting to look rude, but stays off to the side, keeping her distance.

“Yeah,” You wave awkwardly.

“Hey!” Sarah says sweetly. “I didn’t realize you guys use to all hang out.”

“Y/N grew up down the street,” JJ explains and sips at his beer.

“You want a drink or something?” Pope asks you, not knowing JJ already did.

“No thank you,” You say again.

“You don’t drink?” Kie asks. It was the first thing she’s said to you.

“Not usually,” You say and hold her stare. You try to get a read on her, but she’s had to get a tell on. You can’t tell if she just doesn’t like you or just doesn’t know you. Either way, it makes you uneasy.

“Here, I’ll go grab you a chair,” Pope says and walks to the side of the house to grab another beat up beach chair.

As the night goes on, you feel the tension in your shoulders loosen and your body feel lighter. Most of the night was spent retelling childhood stories the four of you shared. Sarah would laugh at most of them, occasionally rolling her eyes at her boyfriend from the stupid shit he would do, although it sounds like he’s no different to you now.

You talked about the time you and JJ stole a golf cart for a joy ride on Figure Eight, or when you and John B pranked Pope by putting a dead fish in his locker, or how you and John B learned how to play guitar from youtube tutorials.

Midnight came around quickly and exhaustion was slowly taking over your body. It’s been a long day between the cafe flooding, dinner with your grandparents, and now this.

JJ was the first to notice you slowly fading.

“You okay?” He asks you quietly as everyone else is caught up in conversation.

“Yeah,” You say, lazily grinning at him.

“We can leave if you want,” He says.

“You’re not staying?” You ask. It sounded like everyone was planning to spend the night here. And as much as you wanted to, you just didn’t feel comfortable enough yet.

JJ shrugs. “My dad’s out of town tonight. It’ll be nice to have the house to myself.” Before you can say anything, he stands and brushes his hands against his pants. “All right, losers. We’re out of here.”

“Aw, you’re leaving?” Sarah pouts.

“Yeah, I’m beat and Y/N’s my ride home,” JJ says.

You were glad he didn’t call you out for being tired. You didn’t want to look lame in front of everybody, especially Kie.

“Thanks for having me,” You say to everyone. It might have been John B’s house, but it was everyone’s night you intruded on.

John B stands up to hug you. “Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

You nod. “I won’t. I promise.”

Pope hugs you next. “Text me when you get back safe.”

“I will.”

“Bye!” Sarah waves and Kie exhales a ring of smoke from her blunt.

You wave at them before following JJ back to your car.

“Nuh-uh-uh,” JJ says. You didn’t realize you both walked to the driver’s side.

“What? No.”

JJ nods and holds his hands out for your keys. “I’m not dying tonight.”

“You’ve been drinking and smoking all night,” You say. You didn’t think JJ was drunk or even that high, but you were not going to let a teenager with an ounce of alcohol in his system get behind the wheel. “Next time. For now, hold on to the cupholder.”

JJ sighs dramatically and goes to the other side of the car and hops in the passenger seat.

This time you keep the music quiet, listening to the hum of the radio instead of your phone.

“Take a left,” JJ says.

“JJ, I know where you live. And it’s not left.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

You snicker. “Not in the slightest.”

JJ rolls his eyes. “Just take the left.”

You hold your hands up in surrender and take the left turn. He directs you for a couple more miles until he has you park in front of a 24 hour diner.

“What are we doing here?” You ask.

“I’m in the mood for a milkshake.”

“We just had cake!” You say.

“Come on, Sparky. Show me what that mouth can do,” JJ smirks.

You go to hit him again but he takes off running to the front entrance and pulls the door open. You chase after him, almost running into his back at the front host stand where JJ safely smirks at you in triumph.

“Two please,” He says to the hostess.

The old cranky woman leads you to a booth off to the side next to a window without a word.

A couple minutes later, a waitress walks by and asks if you’re ready to order.

“Yes. One chocolate milkshake and one black and white milkshake,” JJ orders for both of you, already knowing what flavor you’d want.

“And fries, please.” You say. The waitress nods, takes your menus, and walks off. JJ raises his brow at the extra order. “What?” You shrug. “Just showing you what my mouth can do.”

JJ scoffs. “What a tease.”

You playfully kick his shin under the table.

“Did you have fun tonight?” JJ asks.

“Yeah,” You answer. “Felt like old times. The girls are nice too.”

You were about to only mention Sarah, but you didn’t want to cause any issues with Kie. Not yet at least. Maybe she just needed time to warm up to you.

“See? I told you they wouldn’t bite.”

A couple minutes later, the waitress comes back with your milkshakes and fries.

“How’s John B doing? You know, with the whole Big John thing?” You ask delicately, unsure of how JJ would react to you pestering about John B’s business. “I didn’t want to ask and bring the mood down,” You explain yourself although you don’t need to.

JJ shrugs. “He’s in denial I think. Won’t sign a death certificate until he sees a body. He could be worse, though.”

“Yeah,” You say softly. You don’t know what you would do if you were in that situation. In a way you felt lucky that you never knew your dad at all. It would be harder to lose him, knowing who he was.

You take a fry and dip it into your milkshake before taking a bite. This makes JJ freeze and look at you like you have two heads.

“What?” You say with your mouth full.

“I can’t believe you just did that.”

“Don’t knock it till you try it,” You say and give him a look to do it.

JJ reluctantly picks up the fry and dunks it into his milkshake. He looks at the fry questioningly before popping it into his mouth. Somehow the sweetness of the milkshake and the saltiness of the french fry complement each other beautifully and his widen in pleasant surprise.

“Oh wow,” JJ says.

“Told you,” You smirk.

You spend the next hour catching up, trying to fit the last three years into an hour. JJ does most of the talking because you want to know more about what John B, Pope, and JJ have been up to. Your life was so boring and depressing, you didn’t want to bore JJ with the details.

You drive JJ home and talk for a few minutes more when you park. He seems to be procrastinating getting out of the car, but you don’t mind. You could talk to him all night, suddenly not feeling tired anymore.

“All right. I’ll let you get home before the sun rises,” He says and opens the door. He pauses when his feet hit the ground and he looks back at you. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I have to work at the shop, why?”

“Well, there’s a storm coming in. John B and I might go out to surf the surge before it hits. You still surf?”

You scoff. “Do I still surf?”

JJ holds his hands up in surrender. “Just checking. You think you can handle the surge?”

“Let’s not forget who the better surfer is, JJ.”

“I didn’t. It’s still me.”

“You wish.”

“So I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Now you have a point to prove. You have to show JJ that you’re still the better surfer.

“I'll see you tomorrow,” You agree.

“Great, it’s a date.” He winks and shuts the door before you can tell him otherwise.

You giggle to yourself as JJ walks up the front yard and stay there until he you see he gets in safely.

You pull out of the driveway, wishing he had asked you out on a real date. One that didn’t involve John B.

Tag list: @super-funky-bisexual @sunsetswithjj @moniamaybank @throwawayfish @poguestyle17 @5am-cigarette @jjpouggues @fly-away-from-here @buckys2thicc

#JJ Imagine #jj fic #jj maybank imagines #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank #jj obx #jj fanfiction #jj maybank imagine #outer banks imagine #outer banks imagines #outer banks fic #jj maybank one shot

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